Even The Fallen Can Rise Again
by cardkill
Summary: A Fallen guardian wakes up in a war torn world with no memory of his own. In a war between light, and dark, he must forge new friendships, fight against overwhelming odds, to uncover the truth of his past.
1. Chapter 1

**Year 3714**

 **Old Earth, Russia**

 **Cosmodrome, Outer wall**

Another day has begun in the Cosmodrome. The sun has begun to rise, pockets of snow are scattered all over the ground. rusted cars, street lights and vegetation litter the area. an old abandoned wall stands tall even though it is rusted and beaten. In the distance, a broken highway fill with decaying cars overlooks the cliff. a trio of four blue-eyed beings jump on top the vehicles. The largest and highest ranking one of the scouting patrol looks through the scope of his wire rifle. At first, he sees only striped cars, rocks, and trees then a little white floating ball pops out from behind a car. The captain recognized it as a ghost usually only seen with the company of a guardian.

The dreg of the group sees his captain's posture stiffen. "do you see something sir?" the dreg asked nervously

without looking at him the captain responses "There is one of the ghoul's little floating lights by itself."

Upon hearing the news the vandal replies "If it is alone then maybe we could capture it, it could have valuable information on it we could use." he said enthusiastically.

The captain, having the same idea, shouts "Move in we must take is for house devils!" with a Roar.

 **Cliffside**

The ghost looks around for a body with light. He sees a broken corpse in a car and scans it but there is no light. "Ouch," says it says to the body and moved on. The ghost continues its search until it reaches the top of the cliff. The ghost finds three bodies which have been dead a few decades at the most. The first had a bullet hole in the head from a shock pistol, the second seemed to have been severely burned, and the last seems to have a hole in its chest from what he believes is from a sword.

Upon closer inspection the ghost sees that these three are fallen. "wonder what happened to you three?" the ghost asked. Normally the ghost would simply ignore Eliksni corpses since the fallen were one of the major threats to the last city, but after centuries of searching with no luck he decided "what the hell." The ghost scanned the bodies but didn't expect to find anything. To his surprise, he sensed light coming from the one with the sword wound in his chest. The ghost just frozen in complete shock "ho- how is this possible?" the ghost stuttered. After a minute the ghost began the resurrection.

After the process had finished the fallen male was laying down on his back his eyes still closed. The ghost had transmated some material laying around them to make some weak jury-rigged Fallen tailored armor for his new guardian. The Eliksni began to stir, and wake up. He slowly opened all four of his eyes, he began to move all four of his arms and was momentarily blinded the sunlight. When his vision cleared the first thing he saw was a small white object floating in front of him.

"eyes up guardian." the ghost said nervously.

slightly scared the Eliksni tried to back away from the strange object in front of him. He looked around and saw the rusted cars, street lights, and vegetation that surrounded him. Finally, he noticed the two corpses that were next to him and let out a short yelp.

The ghost was surprised the say the least. He didn't expect his Fallen guardian to be the one who was afraid. After calming down a bit the Eliksni turned to the ghost and asked "who or what are you?" in a harsh accent.

Glad that there some progress being made the ghost replied, "I'm a ghost, your ghost to be precise."

"How did I get here?" the Eliksni asked confused.

"I know it will sound strange, but you have been dead for a long time." In the distance the ghost heard a Fallen roar, and turned to see the source then turned back to the guardian and said "It's not safe here I have to get you back to the city." the ghost said worried and disappeared in a flash of light.

The Eliksni got up and stood as tall as a fallen captain. Worried he looked around for his ghost. "don't worry I'm with you, now b-line it for the wall.

Without hesitating, he started running for the wall passing cars other golden age relics alike. When he got closer he saw an open door and went inside running up some stairs. After walking through a catwalk he saw something move inside the wall on his right. He looked at the opening in the wall but it was gone so he moved up another flight of stairs and into a dark large open area inside the wall. His ghost appeared again and said, " I need to find you a weapon before the fallen find us."

Confused the Eliksni asked, "What's a Fallen?"

Completely surprised to hear that The ghost turned around and stared at the new hunter. His four blue eyes glowed in the dark. The ghost asked, "do you even know what species you are?"

"No," He looked down at his body, looked back up to his ghost, and asked, "are there others like me?"

The Ghost didn't know what to say, Usually revived guardians could remember everything about their time before they originally died. To answer his "yes there are thousands of Fallen on earth, and a few other planets in the system, but they won't take kindly to us." The Eliksni was surprised by the answer. "We'll have to talk about this later, I need to get the power back on."

The ghost started to fly over the gape in the middle of the area and started to shine brightly. Looking at one of the wall's vertical support columns the hunter saw several small blue lights around it. After hacking through the military computer firewall, the ghost turned the lights back on which startled the fallen devils and they dropped from the column to the catwalk below them. They looked around and saw the hunter standing on the distant platform. They began to move across the catwalk they were on when the gate behind the guardian began to open and he saw a rifle leaning against a crate. He picked it up, and the ghost said, " you found a rifle, it's old but it looks like it can still work now let's keep moving."

After moving through the corridor two fallen jumped out in front of them. Surprised that the guardian was one of there kind they hesitated, but the hunter didn't and shot them both dead. He walked up and looked down on the two. He immediately notice that the two look like him except that the dreg was missing his lower arms. He bent down to pick up the knife, and place it in the upside down knife holster on his right side chest piece, and the shock pistol on the holster on the right side on his hip, then move on. After killing several dregs and vandals in the next room The hunter made his way across the catwalk he saw earlier and saw a chest. "The Fallen left a weapon chest, open it, and see what they left for us."

Eagerly the Eliksni opened the chest and saw a wire rifle inside. He placed the KHVOSTOV auto rifle on his back and pick up the wire rifle. After looking it over, he fired a test shot aiming at one of the dead Fallen on the other side of the catwalk, the rifle took a second to charge then fired a precise arc projectile across the catwalk and hit his mark in the head. "I'm keeping this," he said smiling.

Continuing through the corridor he made a left turn and stopped when he saw red beams of light shooting out of the walls ahead. "trip mines, don't touch them!" the ghost said.

"Really? I thought I'd walk through them and see what happens." sarcastically the hunter said.

Noticing another path on his left the hunter continued to run when a dreg jumped down from the ceiling in front of him. The dreg was too close to shoot with his auto rife so he let go of it, grabbed it with his lower left hand. The dreg attempted to stab him when he grabbed the dreg by the wrist with his upper left hand and used his upper right hand to put out his knife from his chest, and stabbed the dreg in his throat. In the corner of his right eye, he saw a vandal readying to shoot him with a shock rifle so in one quick move he pulled out the shock pistol with his lower right hand and fired a burst of arc projectiles at him taking his head off.

after Dropping the dead dreg, and holstering his pistol, and knife the hunter found his way into the breach. As more devils dropped from the ceiling he decided it be best to make a run for the exit. Shooting a few Fallen that stood in his way the hunter made it to the exit, ran past some old fans, and finally escape into the outside into the Divide.

As the Eliksni look around he saw The clear blue sky, abandoned building, military vehicles, and tall tower looking ships in the distance. "this use to be an old Cosmodrome, We might be able to find a ship we can use." the ghost said.

"Yes I'd like to get out of here a quickly as possible." the hunter said while switching to his wire rifle since he was in an open area.

A red flare followed by a noise drew both their attention to the distant sky as a large ketch appeared and knocked one of the old colony ships down. Surprised by the appearance of the ketch the ghost said, "A fallen ketch, we need to move now!"

"Move where?!" the hunter asked alarmed

"Into that old building dock 13, I'm getting readings of an old jump ship that we can use I'll mark on the HUD in your helmet."

Wasting no time the hunter began running down the hill and towards dock 13 as the ketch started flying right over them. As they were about to enter the building two fallen skiffs had dropped two squads of dregs who began shooting at the guardian. before getting inside the hunter turned around fired his rifle three times killing three dregs. After getting inside he switched back to his auto rifle and made his way into the hanger where the ship his ghost mentioned was hand by some old cable.

After seeing that there were no fallen other than the hunter in the room the ghost popped out and mad his way towards the ship. Seeing the state of the ship the hunter was concerned "can it fly?"

the ghost turned and said, "I can make it work."

Relieved the hunter waited and looked around while ghost was making repairs. As he looked he turned back towards the entryway they came through and his eyes widened at what he saw. Another Eliksni was standing in the hall but it didn't look like one of the devils. It was wearing some kind of white and golden robes and It wasn't wearing a helmet or mask so he could see it's face and hair on its head. The fallen didn't move or say anything it simply stared at the hunter. The guardian slowly walked over to the robed figure but before he got close the fallen said in a feminine voice "Peekis" then without warning she burst into flames.

Upon seeing this the hunter yelled "Shit!" and jump back falling down in the process.

Hearing the commotion the ghost turned around looking at the guardian concernedly and asked "What wrong!"

The hunter turned to look at the ghost while pointing at the entryway and ask "you see that!"

The ghost looked at the entrance but didn't see anything. Confused the ghost asked, "see what?"

The guardian turned his head and saw that the girl he just saw wasn't there anymore. Shocked he told the ghost "there was another fallen there and she was wearing gold and white robes then she burst into flames."

The ghost emitted a pulse then told the hunter "I not picking of any other lifeforms."

Upon hearing this the hunter got back up. "I got the ship ready to go, we can talk back and the city." the ghost said.

"Good I think I need rest after everything today." the hunter replied then they here a loud roar coming from a hole in the wall. A devil archon priest emerged from the hole then at the same time The ghost transmated both of them into the ship and began the takeoff sequence. The archon began firing its shrapnel launcher at the ship to try, and stop it, but the ship had exited through the opening in the ceiling. Finally, off the ground, the duo took off to the last city as a hood Exo watched them fly into the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Several hours later, Mid day** **  
In the sky over the mountains miles outside the city's walls**

After escaping the devil archon priest, and getting out of the cosmodrome using the abandoned Arcadia jumpship the new duo began their flight to the last city. The ship's systems had decayed over the years so it could not travel at maximum speed. During that time the ghost had spend the next couple of hours informing his new guardian about the city's war with the darkness and The different alien races that have claimed much of what humanity had once held. What really peaked the eliksni's interest was hearing that his people were one of the races causing so much pain and chaos.

While passing through a small storm they became incapable of seeing anything other than the rain and lightning going on around them. After several more moments they finally broke through the clouds and at last they saw it. The last city and all it's glory. The lights from all the homes, businesses, and skyscrapers began to light up the night sky as the sun had began to settle in the west. The giant walls that stretched all around the city looked similar to the old wall in the cosmodrome except they looked well maintained and had numerous gun emplacements encase of an invasion. Finally, hovering just above the city a giant white orb who's size dwarfed the city itself with black line patterns on it's surface, and severe scaring on the bottom indicating that it was attacked from below.

"this is the last city, the only place the traveler can still protect" the ghost said with a hint of relief in his voice. As the ghost said this the hunter had just shed a tear a the site of the city.

"Are there really no other cities like this on the planet?" the hunter asked curiously.

the ghost turned to him "There might be small villages across the world all hiding from the Fallen or Hive." his voice holding a tint of hope in it. As they made their way to the city they began to get close to the vanguard's tower as it was overlooking the entire city from the edge of the wall. "that's the tower, the command center of the vanguard, and where you need to meet the hunter vanguard Cayde-6."

Upon hearing this the eliksni's heart rate increased, and his face began to have a worried look on it. "Wait! I'm a Fallen so won't they shoot me as soon as they see me?"

The ghost eye widened after processing this information. 'he's right, we can't just transmat into the courtyard they'll just shoot then ask questions after the fact.' the ghost thought. After several tense moments the ghost finally said " Okay uh, just fly laps around the city while I contact the vanguard to try, and explain the situation to them." With no better ideas, the hunter did as his ghost said.

 **Tower, Vanguard meeting room**

It was business as usual for the vanguard as they went about their day. Ikora Rey was reading though some of her hidden agents reports, and new documents that they brought to her. From some of the reports she read something has riled up the house of devils in the cosmodrome. Whatever it was got them spooked even more than a guardian strike team. Commander Zavala was looking through status reports on the upgrades to the wall's defenses he had order three weeks ago. The reason for this was, because of the news from five weeks ago that the house of devils had build a new prime servitor, Septiks Prime. Zavala was concerned that having a new deity to lead them could embolden the devils to launch a attack on the city.

Cayde-6 was bored as usual as he was going through his scout's reports from the cosmodrome. His reports stated that apparently something had torn through one of the devil's outposts a couple of hours ago in the divide leaving behind a decent body count behind it, and taking off in a abandoned Arcadia class jumpship. 'Could be a new guardian, but not even that usually gets the devils this stirred up' Cayde thought as he had taken an interest in this new report. As he was pondering the information his ghost materialized next to him. "I'm receiving an incoming transmission from a ghost that's close to the city."

This broke Cayde from his train of though, and he replied "Patch it through, ghost."

Complying with the request, the ghost now acted as a communicator between Cayde, and the unknown ghost. "hello?"

"This is the hunter vanguard Cayde. why are you contacting me, ghost?"

"Yes hello Cayde. I just recently found my new guardian in the cosmodrome, and the reason I'm calling you is, because he is a hunter." the eliksni's ghost said.

"Ah a new rookie! But why are you calling me? Just bring him here?" Cayde asked curiously. While Zavala was still reading the status reports Ikora had begun listening in on the conversation believing that maybe this has something to with the House of Devil's most recent activity.

"Well um, the reason for that is, because ah." the ghost said while a bit scared of what will happen if he gives his reason.

"Yeeesss?" Cayde said finding this to be a somewhat decent distraction from his work. Ikora's interest had started to rise bit.

"Well the thing is that he...is a Fallen."

This cause Zavala to break from his concentration as heard the ghost finish his sentence. "You brought one of the Fallen into the city with you!?" Zavala said with near outrage.

Ikora decided to involve herself in the conversation. "How is it possible for one of the Fallen to weld the light of the traveler?" she said in awe of the news.

"I don't know how it could happen, but I sense the light in him myself. He is my guardian, and I couldn't just abandon him after all my years of searching." The ghost said not prepared to give up on his guardian. The Eliksni felt touched that even though they just met, his ghost was already willing to stand up for him like this.

Ikora though for a moment then turned to her fellow vanguard "If this Fallen truly welds the light then perhaps we should give him a chance to prove himself to us."

Zavala's eyes widen as he turn to his warlock counterpart "How could you suggest that we allow one of the Fallen in to the tower after all they done to us since we made first contact with them!?"

"I have my suspicions of him to Zavala, but If the Traveler has chosen one after all these centuries then It has to be with good reason." Ikora always trusted the traveler with who it makes an extension of it's power. "Also, if this Fallen is on our side then maybe he could give us valuable information on whatever house he was apart of." she explain. As a warlock Ikora was always ready to study, and record new information especially if it could be used to help the city.

"Ahem!" Cayde spoke grabbing the attention of the titan and warlock. "This Fallen is a hunter, and last I checked I'm the hunter vanguard. So shouldn't I get a say in this?"

Ikora responded "My apologies Cayde. What do you have to say on this matter?"

"If this Fallen has the travelers light, and if his ghost is so willing to stand with him that is good enough for me." Cayde then turned back to his ghost "Land your ship in the tower hanger. will have a team of guardians met you there."

"got it." the eliksni's ghost said relieved that it when that well.

"Cayde!" Zavala said annoyed that he would make a decision like that without his, and Ikora's approval first.

"Relax, I got it covered." Cayde stated as he started to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going." Ikora questioned

Cayde turned around to look at her "I have got to meet this rook. It will be cool to meet a Fallen who isn't constantly trying to kill me. Plus this will be a good excuse to not have to go through paperwork." with that Cayde resumed walking towards to the hanger.

 **Arcadia jumpship on route to tower hanger**

The new hunter was nervous to say the least. As they approached the hanger the eliksni had is helmet and face mask transmated to his inventory so his head could feel less compressed from the tension he was feeling right now. He had his lower arms rubbing his thighs while his upper arms slowly rubbed his reptilian skin on his head and his six fingers going through his hair while it was only half as long the average fallen would have.

As they began to enter the hanger the hunter slowly began to breath in through his flat nose that had two small slits so he could smell, and out through his mouth. While Fallen had a pair of mandibles that acted as lower jaws it was possible for them to close them together giving making their mouths look a bit similar to humans, and awoken. As they landed on the hanger floor the two looked out the window to the jumpship and saw seven armed guardians waiting for them. As the ghost looked he saw one of the guardians standing a few feet in front of the rest and recognized him as the hunter vanguard.

"That is the hunter Vanguard Cayde-6" the ghost said turning to his guardian "and the Vanguard you will be reporting to most of the time."

"Assuming were not shot immediately." the hunter said worriedly. This cause the ghost to flinch a bit.

"Well we might as well get this over with, you ready?" the ghost asked.

"Got no other choice." After saying this the ghost transmated the two outside.

The team of guardians were waiting anxiously when in a flash of light the new eliksni guardian and his ghost transmated to the floor. The eliksni stumbled when his feet his the floor as he was not use to teleportation yet, but he managed to catch himself before he could fall. 'noob' Cayde thought while chuckling. The other guardians tightened their grip on their weapons upon seeing a captain size Fallen appear in front of them. As this was happening the air on the platforms overlooking the hangers was thick with anticipation from all the spectators of guardians, and tower workers that had heard the news of the new hunter.

After a few moments Cayde walked up to the new hunter "Hello, I'm your new boss Cayde-6."

The eliksni snapped his head at the exo hunter that just introduced himself and replied "um hello, is this the part were I get shot to death?" he said turning his four eyes to the team of guardians standing a few yards away.

"Them?" Cayde turned his head around then back "Their just here as a precaution in case your not as friendly as your ghost said you are." he said turning to the ghost.

"So far the only people I've seen him kill are other Fallen." the ghost told Cayde

"Now that's a good start in earning the trust of the other two Vanguard." Cayde said enthusiastically. "Follow me to the Vanguard meeting room, Zavala, and Ikora will want to talk with you."

After that Cayde, and his new hunter made their way to the hall of guardians, but before they left the hanger Cayde stopped, and turned around to the eliksni "By the way can you tell me what your name is?"

The hunter paused for a few moments. 'Crap I don't even remember my name' he thought while trying to figure out what to say. After a few seconds he remembered the name that fallen women said to him at dock 13. "Pekis, my name is Pekis" he said not noticing he had said the name incorrectly.

"Pekis?" Cayde thought for a moment "I like it."

With that they continued the walk.

 **Hall of Guardians**

On their way to the hall of guardians they took the elevator to the upper platforms of the hanger and went through to hallway that led to the tower watch. As they walked Pekis look around him and notice all the different people that were looking at the them. Some of tower workers watched with curious looks on their faces while a few of the more seasoned guardians had been openly glaring at him cause him to subconsciously move one of his right hands to closer to his shock pistol.

Once they made it out of the hanger Pekis turned his head to view of the city and traveler. 'that's one impressive view' he thought. turning his head back to the vanguard leading him he noticed all the guardians and vendors that had stopped what they were doing to see the hunter vanguard leading the fallen into the tower. this causing Pekis to have a little stage fright and the continued glares prepared his flight or fight response to kick in on a moment's notice. After walking down the stairs in the middle of the courtyard they walked past the crucible overseer Lord Shaxx.

Even though they had been in each other presence for only a minute the tension in the air between Pekis and Shaxx thicken rather quickly. Understandable considering that between the centuries of fighting off the fallen houses, being a veteran and the hero of the battle of twilight gap Shaxx had developed a strong bias against the fallen. Pekis was still ignorant of most of the things that had happened during the cities' centuries of warfare but he had plan to learn more provided none of the other guardians decided to just kill him.

Finally they had mad it to the vanguard room where Zavala and Ikora had been waiting. "Well rookie this are my fellow Vanguard Ikora, and Zavala." Cayde said gesturing to the two.

"Greeting hunter" Ikora said with her usual clam demeanor. Zavala had simply stared at the fallen guardian in standing on the other side of the table. "Don't mind Zavala, he just takes the security of the city seriously and having one of your species among our ranks is a very new occurrence." She said trying to ease Pekis' mind. So far Pekis liked the warlock and hunter vanguards but still felt nervous about Zavala

"Don't worry rookie" Cayde said while nudging the eliksni's lower left arm "you just need to knife a couple hostiles and blow up a few of our enemies deities and he'll come around."

Pekis' eyes widen with shock "deities?"

"don't worry we don't send any fresh guardians against overwhelming odds right of the bat." Ikora said calming Pekis

Seeing her stare at him Cayde replied "relax I wasn't going to send him out yet, I was just trying to make friendly conversation."

Zavala interrupted "Before we get into any of than we would like to ask you some questions." he said the suspicion in his voice being obvious to the three.

"He's right." Cayde stated "First of all what I want to know is how are you able to breath without a mask supplying you with ether?" Considering the fact that the whole time Pekis was at the tower he wasn't wearing his fallen style helmet and mask.

Pekis thought for a moment. "Um, whats ether?" This question shocked all the vanguard then Pekis' ghost materialized next to him.

"From what I've been able to tell from hours of talking to him he has amnesia and doesn't remember anything about his time before he died." the ghost then turned to Cayde "And to answer your question Cayde during my years of searching I have scanned numerous dead servitors and learned the process to make ether myself, and I've given his lungs a coating of ether so he doesn't need one to breath." he said finally finished.

While disappointed to hear of his amnesia Ikora did take an interest in the ether making process "Ghost can you send me the information on making ether? it could prove useful against the Fallen later on."

"done." replied the ghost.

"Well now that that is out of the way Pekis It's time to put together a fire team for you." Cayde said grabbing Pekis' attention. "Before you ask a fire team is a group of three guardians who work together to to protect the city. Every guardian in the city is a part of one and fire teams usually consist of one titan, hunter, and warlock. Your a hunter so all I need to look for is a fresh warlock and titan to team you up with during that time I want you to look around the tower and talk to the gunsmith banshee-44 for a new weapon and Amanda Holiday in the hanger about your ship's repairs."

Before Pekis could leave Ikora spoke "Before you go take this." she said handing him a data pad. "It contains information on the history of the city, guardians, our enemies, and the traveler. Also take this." Ikora opened her palm and her ghost transmated a glowing orb of light into it "As a gesture of friendship." Pekis then took the orb in both hands. "Crush it in your hands and let it's energy strengthen your light."

"Thank you" he replied then began doing as she said. After a few moments the orb shattered and the energy inside floated in the air for a moment then it converged on Pekis and entered his body. It was a strange experience for him but it also felt pleasant. Then he suddenly felt a surge of power flow through his body and he flinched a bit from it.

'Noob!' Cayde thought seeing him flinch.

"Don't worry that is natural for guardians, the more combat experience you get and orbs of light you absorb the stronger your light becomes and the stronger your light becomes the more hunter abilities you will be able to use." Ikora said.

"Much appreciated Ikora, I'll be on my way now." Pekis said then leaving to study the data pad and look around the tower.

 **Six hours later, Sun down** **  
Tower, traveler's walk**

After his meeting with the vanguard Pekis had done as Cayde told him before going over the data pad and first went to see the gunsmith Banshee-44. The vanguard had sent a message to everyone in the tower saying that Pekis was an guardian and was not to be attack. Despite this most people in the tower kept their distance from him and vice versa. Upon meeting Banshee there was a moment of uncomfortable silence between to two that was broken by Pekis handing him a vanguard requisition order. After looking over the three different primary weapons that Banshee gave out to fresh Pekis choose to take the scout rifle. Then Pekis gladly left to the hanger thinking that the exo gunsmith was a bit creepy.

Amanda Holiday practically jumped upon seeing the fallen hunter walk up to her. After calming down a bit she told him that she manage to repair or replace most of the ships decayed systems. The only thing the ship was missing was a warp drive that was needed to travel to other worlds when needed. After thanking her for the repairs Pekis decided to find a nice secluded spot where he could read and found that to be the travelers walk that was directly on top of the hall of guardians.

The data pad Ikora had given him was a good treasure trove of information that he needed since he could not remember anything. It contained information that stretched from the coming of the traveler, the golden age, the collapse and the early years of the city all the way to the great disaster on earth's moon and the battle of twilight gap. Upon reading about twilight gap he read about the counter attack that Shaxx lead against the fallen houses and realized where the tension coming from him came from.

Pekis was sitting down on the grass as he and his ghost talked about the city's history when they noticed two figures approached them. Pekis stood up and transmated the data pad into his inventory and saw that the two were guardians as they had two ghost floating next to them. 'Are these my new teammates?' Pekis thought as the titan and warlock stopped a few feet away a bit hesitant to talk to him. They had their helmets off so he was able to see their faces. The Titan was an Exo female with white colored eyes, black colored face plating and two antennas on both sides of her head which seemed to be the Exo equivalent of Human ears. The warlock was a Human female with pale skin, dark blue eyes, orange red hair that stopped at the neck and pinkish colored lips.

After a few moments of silence Pekis decided to speak first. "hello" he said nervously.

Hesitating for a moment the exo titan responded "Hi, the vanguard told us to meet you here." with a hint of suspicion in her voice

Then the human warlock spoke "Cayde-6 said that the three of us were on the same fire team now." she said with her heart beating fast as she didn't expect to be teamed up with a alien much less one of the fallen she had only heard about from more seasoned guardians.

"My name is Pekis." he said trying to be friendly.

"My name is Bitsine-2." replied the titan.

"And my name is Kelly vale." the warlock said calming down a bit.

Trying to start a better conversation Pekis asked "So when did you two become guardians."

"I was revived a few days ago in London in the European dead zone. A team of guardians was scouting the area at the time and they brought me here." Kelly said recollecting those events.

Bitsine then replied "My ghost found me at an abandon military a week ago at a base in Nevada in North America. luckily their was a old AFv1 Octavian star ship that we could use other wise we would of had to walk here. since then I've only been on a few solo patrols in the cosmodrome."

"My ghost found me in the cosmodrome this morning and I had to shoot my way through an army of devils." Pekis said

"Wow you've only a guardian for less than a day and you've already been in a huge fire fight. I've haven't been in any combat since I don't have a ship yet." Kelly said with surprise.

"I'm surprised that you can speak our language so fluently." Bitsine said curiously.

Pekis' ghost then spoke "That's me, I've been translating everything Pekis has been saying."

"You know the fallen's language?" Kelly's ghost asked surprised

"I've hacked a fallen computer system here and there during my search." Pekis' ghost replied

"Speaking of Fallen, you've found yourself quite a rare one." Bitsine's ghost stated.

"Yes, yes I did." Pekis' ghost said looking back at him, happy that he finally found his guardian, even if he is a Fallen.

Pekis smiled a bit after hearing his ghost's words revealing his sharp carnivorous teeth. Kelly and Bitsine were a bit startled by the display but they got past It as they continued their conversation to get to know each other. A some point Pekis thought 'I think I'm going to like my fire team.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Several hours later, two hours before sunrise** **  
****Tower hanger**

Hours after they had first met Pekis, Kelly, and Bitsine had begun preparing for their first outing as a team. So far the three fresh guardians had really hit it off. Pekis had enjoyed learning about his new teammates and listening to stories about their lives before the deaths. Before the collapse Kelly worked as a flight navigator at one of the airports in London coordinating all the different ships and shuttles that were arriving from or leaving earth for one of the colonies on the other planets in the solar system. She had no family since her parents died in a shuttle crash while she was 22 years old in collage. 7 years later she met her fiance Paul Schaper a researcher on the traveler who was vacationing in London when they met and were suppose to get married in two months. The last thing she remembered was coming home from work when ships started to get blown out of the air and some kind of black entity had blanketed the sky. After finally realizing that Paul was definitely dead she had started to cry and her two new friends had tried comfort her.

Bitsine-2 was a soldier in the U.S. military on shore leave after several engagements with vex that had started to appear from the vex ruins discovered on Venus. During one of the skirmishes she remember seeing another exo soldier in the trench she was in that had found an object that look a lot like a ghost. While she was on shore leave she was doing some sight seeing in Vegas when her commanding officer ordered everyone to report back to base upon receiving numerous distress calls coming from earth's neighboring colonies. Bitsine and her squad returned to base and boarded a ship heading for Venus but some had shot their ship down before they left the atmosphere and the last thing see remembered seeing before impact was that the sky was completely black.

Kelly and Bitsine where eager to hear Pekis' story but her disappointed when he told them that he had amnesia. After they had finished telling each other their stories they wondered what they should do first now that they were a team and Pekis remembered that his jumpship was missing a warp drive so with no other ideas for a first mission they prepared to set out for the cosmodrome. Pekis had finished finished stocking up on ammo and studying a map of the the Cosmodrome so now he was waiting for his teammates in the hanger.

After waiting for half an hour Pekis saw Kelly and Bitsine approach him. "So are you two ready for our first mission?"

"Yep I purchased plenty of ammo synthesis with the glimmer I earned from doing patrols for the city." Bitsine responded

"I've only been able to study the fallen and the Cosmodrome in the warlock Libraries since I don't have any glimmer or a ship yet. speaking of witch How am I suppose to go with you with no ship?" Kelly asked worried

Pekis responded "don't worry Kelly my ship has a second seat behind the pilot seat so you will be riding with me." he said placing one of his upper hands on her shoulder to calm her.

"Thank you." She said smiling

"Okay then ghosts transmate us to our ships." Pekis said. With that they were transported to their ships and took off for the Cosmodrome.

 **half an hour later**  
 **Guardian's ships on route to the steppes in the Cosmodrome**

While the fire team was flying towards the Cosmodrome Kelly who had been siting in the back seat of Pekis' ship had been growing increasingly nervous. 'oh god, I'm actually going to on my first mission' she thought.

Pekis had started to notice how scared she started to look. "Whats the matter" he asked concerned.

"It's just that I've never seen any actual combat. The only time I've ever fired a gun was a pistol at a shooting range from before the collapse. What if I freeze up in a fight and you and Bitsine end up fighting without my help?" she said a bit ashamed.

Looking behind him Pekis could see that this was really bothering her. "hey don't worry so much, I don't even remember ever being in a fight before becoming a guardian and I was able to shoot my way out of a fallen devil base running of pure instinct and adrenaline." he said trying to encourage her.

Upon hearing this her mood brightened a bit. "Yeah but I never thought I'd ever be getting sent off to war in my entire life. I always though I would get married, get a few promotions, have kids, retire and spend the rest of my life with Paul but now I've practically been ripped out of my old life and thrusted into this new one were the world I always knew has been changed and all my friends are dead." Kelly said saddened.

Pekis wasn't sure what to say to this. Since he doesn't remember anything about his past he doesn't know what its like to lost someone that you love. After pondering what to say for a few moments he spoke "Well at least you were able to make new friends in this strange world."

Kelly looked back at Pekis after hearing his kind words. Since meeting him and Bitsine she didn't feel like she was all alone in the world. After overhearing the conversation on the radio Bitsine spoke "Yeah me and Pekis are here if you ever need us and If you need to talk to someone who know what its like to lose everything I'm hear."

Kelly remembered that Bitsine was there during collapse after hearing what she said. She wasn't the only one the darkness had hurt but now she had a second chance to avenge everyone. She raised her head with new confidence and a fire had been lit that cause her light to shine stronger than before. "Thanks you, I needed to hear that." Kelly said with her nervousness burn away by the light of her friends.

"What else are friends for?" Bitsine said happy that her friend was better now. "Heads up cosmodrome steppes income."

Pekis had turned his head back to the front and saw they were closing in on the cosmodrome. "Get ready were transmating in 10 seconds." He said with a serious tone in his voice. Kelly had readied her pulse rife for action as Bitsine readied her auto rife and Pekis his wire rifle.

One cue they were transmated into the steppes and were now standing a cliff overlooking the ocean surrounded by rocks, snow and abandoned golden age buildings. "Alright so were do we being our search." Bitsine inquired.

Her ghost then spoke "There is a old guardian ship that was shot down a few hours ago. It might have the warp drive we need."

"Alright lets move out." Pekis said and with that they started running towards the coordinates of the downed guardian's ship. Kelly stayed behind Pekis and Bitsine as she did not have combat experience like them as they shot their way through a few devil patrols that were in their way.

Upon reaching the crashed ship Pekis approached it and opened his hand where his ghost materialized above it. As his ghost began scanning the ship as a devil skiff appeared from the sky and started dropping troops. The fire team had begun opening fire on the fallen to keep them away when Pekis' ghost spoke to him "Pekis try using the power of your light!"

"How?!" he questioned while under fire.

"Focus your energy into your hand, and imagine holding fire or electricity!" he told has he was still working on the ship.

Doing what he said Pekis hid behind the ship wreckage and began focusing his light. After a few seconds a shining ball made of solar energy appeared in his hand. Astounded by his ability he turned to his ghost "What now?!"

"Throw it!"

After hearing this Pekis ran out of cover, and threw the ball at the devils. After flying threw the bullets being exchange between the two groups the incendiary grenade landed next to a devil vandal's feet then exploded vaporizing the vandal, and setting fire to a dreg close by. After seeing this Bitsine had just remembered the abilities she was able to use, and began using her arc energy on the devils. after another minute all the Fallen pirates were dead.

When the fight was over Pekis' ghost had just finished scanning the ship. "The ship's warp drive is damaged beyond repair, but I was able to read their last transmission. There is a information hub underground that they were able to restore." The ghost said.

"Where is it?" Kelly asked

"The entrance is in an abandoned building a few yards away."

The fire team turned their heads to the old building close by, and started moving towards it. Upon entering Pekis had switched to his auto rifle. and Bitsine switched to her shotgun. After running down some stairs they entered a room illuminated by a glowing blue map of the cosmodrome. The three finished slaughtering some devil fallen and shanks that were inside the room then Kelly had her ghost scan the computers. After a few seconds her ghost said "according to the information logs our best chance to find a warp drive is in dock 13."

"That's were I found my ship." Pekis stated.

"And that archon priest is probably still there." Pekis ghost said worried.

"If that archon is still their it's going to wish is wasn't." Bitsine said eager to take down a high ranking Fallen.

"time for round two." Pekis said smirking behind his mask.

The team left the room and made it back to the surface. Their ghosts displayed the direction to dock 13 on the the guardian's huds, and the three started B lining it towards the coordinates. After running for a few minutes they made it up some stairs, and moved through room with a collapsed roof. As they continued running they made several turns, and jumps then they finally made it to the dock. They stopped a few feet away from the entrance as they heard several fallen devils talking.

They moved slowly inside using the shadows of the night go get closer without alerting them. After taking cover behind some metal support pillars they look out and saw a group of fallen vandals and dregs with a devil captain in front of them all looking a a large hole in the wall. After a few moments four large hands emerge and griped the edges of the hole and the then finally he jump out. Riksis the devil archon priest holding a large shrapnel launcher in his lower right hand and standing a few feet taller than the captain.

As Riksis' feet hit the ground Pekis asked his ghost "Ghost can you translate for all of us."

"No need to I sent Kelly's, and Bitsine's ghosts a copy of my translation software so they can translate for them." Pekis' ghost stated.

Pekis was glad to hear this and told his teammates to hold their fire for now so they can overhear the devil's conversation. After taking a few steps Riksis look down at the captain in front of him and spoke "What meaning of this intrusion captain." he said with arrogance, and anger in his voice.

The captain then kneed before the archon and spoke "Our patrols in the steppes have spotted that houseless traitor to our people in the company of two warriors from the human city."

Riksis process this information for a moment. "I remember this houseless. He is the one that tore his way through our outpost with one of the Great Machine's creations." he said remembering Pekis escaping in the jumpship before he could kill him.

The captain then lowered his head "What shall we do my lord." he asked.

"Find this houseless, kill his companions, and bring him to me." Riksis ordered. The captain then noded his head in understanding. Luckily for Riksis he would not need to wait long for his reunion with Pekis.

After the conversion was finished Kelly spoke "So what do we do now?"

"We'll have to kill the lower ranking devils first before we focus our attention to the archon." Pekis replied.

"That Captain might be a bit of a problem though." Bitsine spoke "Their armor is more reinforced than dregs and vandals and they have shields."

"So how do we get past the shields?" Kelly asked.

Pekis' ghost then spoke over the comms "Fallen captain shields are vulnerable to arc energy. Bitsine, Pekis use your arc abilities on the captain to destroy it's shield."

Pekis then raised his in front of him again and focused his light. This time a ball of electricity formed in his hand. He looked over to Bitsine and saw that she was ready with her grenade as well. "Okay on my signal Bitsine throw your grenade at the crowd of dregs and vandals and I'll throw mine at the captain and archon. Kelly get ready to pick off any survivors." Pekis said.

After hearing the order Kelly readied her pulse rifle and Bitsine picked out a spot were the most enemies were together. Seeing that his teammates were ready Pekis spoke "3, 2, 1, Now!" he shouted.

Bitsine then proceeded to throw her arc grenade into the crowd. It exploded taking out a good chucked of the devils in an explosion of electricity, and Kelly began firing at the survivors. Pekis threw his grenade at the archon on the far side of the room where it stuck to his leg. The captain eyes widen as he saw the explosive, and tried to back away. The grenade exploded, and when it did it pushed the captain a few feet away on his back knocking out his shields in the process. Before he could he up Pekis move out from behind cover and fire his auto rifle at him. One of the bullets from Pekis flew past the few remaining surprised devils, and hit the captain in the back of his neck, killing him.

After finishing off the survivors, the fire team's attention turn back to the Riksis who was still alive as his heavy armor protected him from the explosion. Riksis roared in anger at what just happened, and turned his attention to the guardian that he was just talking about. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS HOUSELESS!" Riksis said to Pekis as he aim his shrapnel launcher at him. Balls of flaming hot lead then started flying a Pekis who had then took cover behind one of the pillars.

"OVER HERE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Bitsine said as she started firing her auto rifle at him. Pekis and Kelly joined her in her sending a barrage of bullets at the archon. After a minute Pekis had started to run towards right side of the room so he could shoot Riksis in his left side, and Bitsine move to the left side of the room to hit Riksis in his right side. Now Riksis was surrounded, and getting shot from all sides. He kept switching between guardians, but they kept dodging the shrapnel bullets he sent them.

With his armor taking a serious beating, and not having any luck hitting the guardians Riksis turned his attention to the guardian that was the main source of his anger. In a blind rage he charged Pekis. Pekis tried to run away, but Riksis manage to tackle him, and sent him flying into wall and falling on the ground. Having the wind knocked out of him, Pekis did not notice Riksis standing in front of him, raising his foot preparing to stomp him to death.

"DIE TRAITOR!" Riksis shouted as he brought his foot down.

At the last moment Pekis rolled out of the way before Riksis foot made contact. Riksis raised his other foot to try again, but before he could finish Pekis formed another arc grenade in his hand, and threw it at Riksis' helmet were it stuck. Pekis jumped away before the grenade exploded, and when it did it blew off a piece of Riksis' helmet, and knock him on his back. Upon seeing that he was down Pekis jumped on top of Riksis, and held down his upper arms with his lower arms. In one quick move Pekis unsheathed his shock dagger and impaled it into Riksis' throat.

Feeling the dagger enter his throat Riksis realized that he had lost as the light in his eyes started to fad. Before he died Pekis brought his head down to Riksis and whispered "For the record I can't be a traitor because I was never on your side." When Riksis' eyes had finally turned black Pekis pulled his knife out, and got off him. when turned around to see his teammates he immediately received a hug from Kelly.

"When I saw him tackle you I though that was going to be the end of you." She said with her arms in between his two pairs. After recovering from his slight shock he returned the hug padding Kelly on the back.

Bitsine then approached them "Come on Kelly give him some more credit than that. I doubt all it takes to kill him is some douche bag with anger issues."

Kelly then pulled away from Pekis and turned to her "Your right I just don't like the idea of one of my friends getting killed." she said cheering up.

Pekis' ghost then spoke "And even if he did get killed I could have just brought him back."

"Provided there was someone with you to help revive him in this area full of darkness." Bitsine's ghost stated.

"Well enough of that, lets find that warp drive and get out of here." Pekis said.

With that the team started to rummage through some containers, and fallen bodies. Pekis walked up to the captain he had killed, and looked him over. After a minute he opened his hand, and his ghost materialized. "Is this captains armor better than mine?" he asked. The ghost began to scan the captain, and after a few seconds he turned back to him.

"Yes the armor is stronger than yours, and the shield generator in it should give the shield you already have a boost." The ghost said.

"Transmate it onto me. I want to try it out." he said.

After a minute Pekis' ghost had taken the armor off the captain leaving behind the skin suit he was wearing and put is on Pekis. The armor that his ghost made for him was now replaced with a full set of Fallen Devil captain armor. Kelly and Bitsine turned their head towards the event taking place. Pekis looked down at his new armor, and ripped off the loincloth and the cords that were attached to his mouth piece. He looked behind him a saw the red devil cape that extended down to the back of his knees.

After a few minutes Kelly and Bitsine approached him. "That armor looks good on you, but I don't think it would be healthy for you to wear devil armor at the tower." Bitsine said

"Your right I need to get the devil symbols, and color scheme changed." Pekis said as he was moving his limbs around to get a feel for the armor. "It's a bit heavier, but is feels good, and it doesn't inhibit my movements."

"Maybe you should get some of the horns on the helmet removed." Kelly suggested pointing to the parts that stuck out.

"Yeah I probably could." Pekis said then the armor was transmated to his inventory.

"With some glimmer we could make the armor even stronger." Pekis' ghost stated with a hint of excitement.

Pekis smiled after hearing this revealing his sharp teeth again. This time Kelly and Bitsine weren't bothered by it, but instead a bit curious of what his mouth would look like if his mandibles split open. Moving on with the search they began to check Riksis' dead body. After a minute Pekis found the warp drive in one to his pouches. "Found it." he said happily

"Wait I found something else." Bitsine stated then lifted up three bags that she detached from the archon's belt. When they opened the bags they were full of glowing blue glimmer. The three guardian's cheered at how well their first mission had turned out. They killed an archon priest, found the warp drive they were looking for, and found the glimmer jackpot.

"So ghost will this be enough glimmer for my armor?" Pekis asked smirking.

"Oh definitely and then some." The ghost said eagerly.

"Don't forget were splitting this three ways." Kelly said looking a Pekis

"Of course you two deserve this too. I'm not selfish enough to try and keep it all to myself." Pekis said defending himself.

With that the three each took a bag and transmated back to their ships as the sun started to rise and took off heading back to the city.

Half an hour later  
Tower, last city

After returning to the tower Pekis, Kelly, and Bitsine reported to the vanguard about the death of the archon priest. They were glad, and very surprised to hear that a freshly made fire team like them already managed to deal a crippling blow to the House of Devils.

"Excellent work guardians! with the death of Riksis we are one step closer to taking back the cosmodrome." Zavala said proud of them for their success.

"Indeed you may very well become one of our most valuable fire teams if you can keep up your momentum." Ikora stated.

"It was a pleasure to put that self absorbed bastard down." Bitsine said with joy.

"I'm starting to think you aren't as much of a rookie as I thought Pekis." Cayde said to his newest hunter.

"Thanks I was happy to help." Pekis said

"If you keep this up Zavala and Shaxx will warm up to you in no time. Also if you really want to help how about you take my place as the hunter vanguard so I can go back into the wild?" Cayde asked hoping for the off chance Pekis says yes.

"No way your on your own with that." Pekis said. Cayde gently slammed his hand on the table after hearing his answer.

"One last thing the speaker has informed us that he would like to speak with you." Ikora stated.

"About what?" Kelly asked.

"He did not say but before you go I want you to have this." Ikora said as she handed Kelly a armor engram.

"And Bitsine take this." said Zavala handing her a armor engram.

"Pekis take this curtsy of my personal weapon stash." Cayde said handing him a machine gun.

With their gifts transmated into their inventory the fire team left the vanguard and headed to north tower to see the speaker.

"We get body armor for our trouble, and you get a big gun how is that fair?" Bitsine asked Pekis with a bit of jealousy.

Pekis looked at her "Well hunters are know to be a bit more unorthodox than Titans, and warlocks." he replied.

On their way to the speaker other guardians that passed them looks of approval as the news of their accomplishment had already spread. After arriving at the north tower the three walk past the area for the new monarchy representative, over a small bridge, and finally into the Speaker's chamber were the first thing they saw was a large machine with multiple parts moving around a green hologram of the earth. The fire team looked around the room and saw the all the banners hanging on the wall and a few large orbs hovering above small pedestals.

Their focus on the room was lost when the Speaker walked down the stairs wearing his usual white and black robes with a helmet covering his face and spoke. "There was a time when we were much more powerful but that was long ago." He said catching the three guardian's attention. "until it wakes and finds its voice, I am the one who speaks for the Traveler."

Pekis, Kelly, and Bitsine stayed silent as the Speaker continued. "You must have many questions guardians. In its dying breath the Traveler created the created the ghosts to seek out those who can wield its light as a weapon. Guardians to protect us, and do what the Traveler can no longer do itself." He said the three ghost materialized.

"What happened to it?" Kelly asked with sadness in her voice as she remembered what life use to be like after the Traveler's arrival.

"I could tell you of the great battle centuries ago and how the Traveler was crippled. I could tell you of the power of the Darkness, its ancient enemy. There are many tales told throughout the city to frighten children. Lately those tales have stopped and now the children are frightened anyway."

The Speaker walk over to one of the pedestals a stared for a few moments at the hologram above it then turned back toward the fire team. "The Darkness is coming back. I we do not do something we will not survive it this time."

Pekis' ghost turned to him then spoke "Its armies surround us. Your people are just a beginning."

Pekis then turned back to the speaker "What can we do?"

The Speaker then walked up to him "You must push back the Darkness. Guardians are fighting on Earth and beyond. You must join them if we are to win. Your ghosts will guide you. I only hope they chose wisely." he finished gesturing to Pekis then walked away.

As the fire team began to walk away Pekis' ghost spoke "I did, I'm sure of it. what about you two." he said talking to Kelly's and Bitsine's ghosts.

"Definitely." Bitsine's ghost replied.

"I wouldn't have revived Kelly otherwise." Kelly's ghost said.

"Come on we have a world to save, and a dark god to kill." Pekis said leading the trio as they walked away with new determination within them.


	4. Chapter 4

**One week later, afternoon** **  
****Cosmodrome, forgotten shore**

The past week for Pekis and his teammates had been quite busy. After talking with the speaker The three of them had begun to train hard in the crucible to strengthen their light. They would participate in all of the different types of crucible matches from clash to control. During their matches guardians on the opposing teams seem to focus more on shooting Pekis than any other guardian on his team witch gave his team an advantage since they were distracted by him. During their training Kelly and Bitsine managed to unlock all four of their supers but for some reason Pekis had only unlocked one of his. Despite unlocking his golden gun he could not unleash his arc blade. He and his team were confused by this and hoped It would not be a problem later on.

After coming back with the captain armor Pekis had asked around the tower for someone who could customize it for him. He had used some of the glimmer he had taken from Riksis used to strengthen it but the armor still had the devil styling on it so he couldn't wear it yet. After a while he found Eva Levante and asked her to change the devil style with something he had in mind. After a few days it was done and she presented him with it. The red colored armor pieces and scarf had been change to dark blue, the yellow-white color that covered most of the armor was change to black, and finally the cloak now had a black background with a dark blue outline and the devil symbol on it was replace with a white symbol of the traveler. After trying it out he liked the new look and paid Eva her fee.

After a few days of crucible training the vanguard had given them a new mission to investigate the lunar complex in the cosmodrome that the fallen were using to hold something inside. After fighting their way through the devils guarding the outside they entered the complex and unlocked a door that the fallen sealed shut. Upon entering the door they notice that the walls were covered in some kind of fungus that darkness seemed to seep from. they Continued their investigation and eventually they were attack by ugly, undead looking monsters called the hive. After clearing the building of the hive and killing the wizard leading them they returned to the city and reported back to the vanguard who were worried by this new development.

The next day the vanguard ordered Pekis and his team to now investigate the house of devils in the forgotten shore. The devils have started to hack into machines all over the cosmodrome looking for something. After entering the cosmodrome the fire team manage to restore their sparrow links then they took off for the forgotten shore. They stopped a half mile away from the devil's position so they could scope them out with their sniper rifles. Pekis still using his wire rifle began to see how many their were.

"There are a few dregs and vandals patrolling the area around the shipwreck and there's a captain standing by some device with some vandals next to him." Pekis told his teammates.

"I see them. What is that machine their using?" Bitsine asked.

"It's some kind of signal amplifier. If you can get us close to it we can find out what their transmitting." Bitsine's ghost stated

"Their also a garrison of fallen in the building just beyond the ship." Kelly said.

"I'm detecting another amplifier inside." Her ghost said.

Pekis pondered the situation for a few minutes. "Ok let hit the shipwreck first. We'll snipe the devils from a distance first then move in to mop up the leftovers."

"Sounds like a plan." Bitsine said as they readied their rifles.

"I'll take out the fallen on the ground." Kelly told her team.

"Ok Bitsine you help her take them out and I'll go for the captain."

"Got it"

They picked their targets then Pekis said "1, 2, 3 fire!" With that the fire team began dropping fallen left and right. Unfortunately the captain move out of the way of the shot from Pekis at the last second and instead hit one of his vandals. After the captain saw his vandal go down he ordered the rest of his crew to seek cover inside the ship. After getting inside the the metal ship the captain radioed the second garrison.

"What is it?" the captain watching the building amplifier asked.

"Where under attack!"

"What? By who?!"

The Captain in the ship then peaked his head out from behind cover to find the source of the sniper fire. He then look at the ridge that overlook the ship and saw Pekis and his two friends. The Captain's blood began to boil as he replied "It's that houseless that killed lord Riksis!"

The other captain anger peaked upon hear it was Pekis. 'How can that traitor help those thieving humans!' he thought. He then ordered his soldiers to take defensive positions around the building and sent another squad to reinforce the ship's defenses.

The fire team noticed that the remaining devils were now taking cover inside the ship and decided to move in to clear them out. "Bitsine you enter the bottom part of the ship and work your way up. Me and Kelly will clear out the top." Pekis said as they were moving in and switching to different weapons. Acknowledging the order Bitsine entered the bottom of the ship through the broken off part shotgun in hand and started blowing away every fallen that jumped out at her.

Pekis and Kelly then Jumped onto the top of the ship were several vandals started firing at them. While they were returning fire the two guardians did not notice that the captain was cloaked and moving in on them. The captain then sneaked up behind Kelly and impaled a shock sword through her back killing her. Turning his head Pekis saw what the captain had just done and then his eyes turned to the captain that was now charging him. As the Captain swung his swords at him Pekis pulled out his shock knife and dodged the attack. He then grabbed one of the captain hands, planted it onto the ship's edge, and stuck his knife through it impaling the captain to the ship. As the captain roared in pain Pekis wrapped two of his arms around his head and broke his neck.

In a flash of light Kelly's ghost had brought her back to life as Pekis had just kill the captain. He then turned to her and asked "Are you okay?"

"I'm very pissed off." she told him.

Just then Bitsine appeared from the stairwell. "What happened?" she asked.

"Captain" the two said in unison.

After recovering from the ordeal, Kelly look out towards the devil occupied building and noticed the fallen reinforcements heading their way. "their sending back up." she said pointing to fallen squad.

Pekis then placed one of his hands on her shoulder and said "Why don't you show them how mad you are."

Kelly look at him with a smile behind her helmet. She jump up into the air and levitated as she began to channel her light. The devil squad look up as they saw her forming a large ball of void energy in her hand. Kelly then pushed her arm out and sent them a nova bomb that obliterated them. The remaining devils started to get nervous upon seeing the display of power.

After Kelly landed back onto the ship they turned their attention to the amplifier next to them. Kelly then had her ghost scan the machine. After a few seconds the ghost turned back to them "The fallen are trying to hack into some kind of distorted signal. we can find out more at the other amplifier but lets destroy this one first."

The three guardians then fired their rifles at the machine and reduced it to scrap. "one more to go." Bitsine said turning to the building surrounded by devils.

"Good I have a complaint to file with those assholes." Pekis said with anger as he then brought out the machine gun he got from Cayde and cocked it.

The then jumped off the ship and ran up the hill the ruined building was sitting on. Pekis began mowing down every devil that got in his way as they advanced. The captain began to shake in his armor as he watch all of his subordinates get massacred. 'That cursed houseless, how dare he do this to us!' the captain though as his fear turned back to anger.

Seeing the fire team getting closer the captain then activated his cloak, prepared his shrapnel launcher, and took cover behind the second amplifier. Pekis was the first to enter his machine gun in hand as his scanned the inside for hostiles. As he got closer to the amplifier the captain burst out into the open and fired his launcher at Pekis. The first burst of shrapnel hit Pekis and caused him to stumble backwards. The Captain charged Pekis, kick him back into the wall and prepared to finish him when he was suddenly knock to the ground by Bitsine as she shoulder charged him. After recovering from his daze the captain looked to see who pushed him only to see all three guardians looking at him and emptying their weapons into him.

After the captain was dealt with the guardians turned their attention back to the amplifier. Bitsine's ghost materialized as he began to scan the device. "It's the same transmission as the other one and their both connected to something in the terrestrial complex." the ghost said.

"And where's that?" Bitsine asked.

"Sending you the coordinates." the ghost replied.

With that the guardians exited the building and saw the facility on the skywatch mountain that the coordinates lead to. Bitsine tossed a grenade at the device and then they hopped on their sparrows drove up the road that lead to the complex. After driving into the parking lot they came up to a fallen support column and were forced to continue on foot. As they move through the hallway they encountered several dregs wearing golden colored armor. After dispatching them Pekis looked over the dregs. "This dregs are a part of the house of kings." He said.

"Why are the house of kings here?" Bitsine asked

"Perhaps they are working with the house of devils on cracking the transmission." Kelly said.

"Since when do the kings and devils work together?" Bitsine replied

"It's not the first time it has happened." Pekis answered "All the fallen house once joined forces to attack the city at the battle of twilight gap."

"There's even some rumors that the kings are manipulating the devils from behind the scenes." Kelly stated intrigued by the topic.

Moving onward the guardians stopped when they entered a large room filled with abandoned computers and fallen kings. Upon noticing the fire team the kings immediately opened fire on them. The three scattered as they began clearing out the room. As the kings numbered dwindled the captain in charge radioed for reinforcements just before he was shot by Pekis' golden gun. After wiping the kings out the guardians then converged on the final amplifier that was bigger than the last two. Pekis then brought out his ghost and had him scan the device.

After a few moments Pekis' ghost spoke "The fallen are tracking to access these computers but something is fight back. I could use some help."

Bitsine's and Kelly's ghosts then appeared to help hack into the machine as fallen reinforcements arrived. "Spread out, don't let them get near the ghosts." Pekis ordered. As they began to take defensive positions the fallen began to engage them as dregs, captains, and servitor fired at them from a distance while the vandals charged them with shock swords. Being in an enclosed space the vandal swordsmen where not able to spread out that well witch made it a perfect opportunity for Bitsine to unleash her fist of havoc on them. She jump into the air then channeled her light into her fist. As she made contact with the floor she sent out a blast of arc energy all around her decimating the vandals and a wave of arc energy forward destroying a captain and several dregs in front on him.

As the fighting continued Pekis' machine gun ran out of ammo and he switched to his auto rifle. He pick off several dregs from a distance then formed a incendiary grenade in his hand then threw it at another captain that was shooting from behind cover. The grenade roll right underneath the captain exploding taking his legs of and sending his burning torso upward hitting the ceiling. Pekis turned his head and saw Kelly destroy the servitor with another nova bomb. With the fallen servitor dead the three of them took a minute to relax from the battle.

After several more minutes Pekis' ghost spoke "Ok we manage to recover all the data files they stole."

The ghosts then back away from the machine as the guardians destroyed it with their grenades. With the fallen's plan ruined, the team sat down and took off their helmets to talk. As they sat Pekis' ghost began to speak "They weren't able to get much due to a active firewall."

"What firewall?" Kelly asked.

Her ghost then replied "From what we were able to gather we think it might be a warmind."

"A warmind?" Pekis said confused.

"They were AI's that the golden age military deployed on several planets in the system to protect them from threats but from what I heard they were all destroyed." Bitsine said while looking at Pekis.

"If this is a warmind then it's probably Rasputin. This proves that he did face the darkness and survived after all!" Kelly said with excitement.

Pekis turned to his ghost "What is Rasputin protecting out here?"

"Don't know. It could be military weapon caches, data, etc."

"We have to find a way to speak to him. His help could be invaluable to the city." Kelly stated.

"First we need to figure out how and we don't know if he wants to help." Pekis said try to keep her from getting her hopes up to high.

"Your right." Kelly replied

With that the fire team began looting the fallen corpses for anything useful to them. Unknown to them a cloaked yellow painted fallen shank had been recording them just a short distance away. It's primary focus seem to be Pekis as it was watching him. While he was looking around he turned his head giving the shank a good view of his unmasked face. After a few more second it quietly exited the facility and head back to the king's lair. Soon after the guardians took their leave and headed back to the city.

 **Several hours later, midnight**  
 **Tower, Tower Watch**

After giving their report to the vanguard the three guardians split up to do their own individual things. Kelly returned to the warlock libraries to study the files they had recovered from fallen on their mission, Bitsine was trading with some of the tower weapon vendors for better equipment, and Pekis was looking out towards the city from the tower courtyard. He ignored the stares he was receiving from some of the other guardians that wanted to see his uncovered head as he enjoyed seeing the city lights light up the the traveler and the night sky. As he was leaning on the railing he pondered about his current situation. 'What if I was just like the rest of my kind?' he thought thinking about how he couldn't remember anything about his past.

Pekis' train of thought was interrupted as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was Kelly. "What are doing here? I thought you were in the libraries."

"I finished looking over the files we took from the kings. They were looking for locations for golden age military and research facilities to strip bare of technology that could give them an advantage." Kelly told her friend.

After processing this information Pekis asked "Did they manage to keep any information for themselves?"

"No, there is no evidence that the kings copied the information and I sent the files to Ikora." She said assuring him.

"That's a relief." Pekis said as he turned back to the view of the city.

Kelly notice that something was bugging him. She want to to help him the same way he and Bitsine help her on their first mission. "Is something bothering you?" She asked with concern.

Pekis make a loud sigh and he replied "I've just been thinking about what I might have been like before I died."

"You think you might have been another pirate?" She asked as she started to lean on the railing with him.

"Yes, what if I did horrible things against the city? What if I get my memory back and I turn back into some Fallen pirate?" He said with a bit of fear in his voice.

Kelly wasn't sure what to say. She didn't know what could happen if he got his memory back. Would he still be the friend she got to know or would she have to kill him to protect the city. The though of ending him caused tears to leave her eyes. Pekis turned his head and noticed to tears she was making. At this point Pekis' ghost materialized between them.

"I don't think we have to worry about that." The ghost said trying to lighten up the situation.

Pekis and Kelly then turned to him. "What do you mean?" Pekis asked confused

"I doubt the traveler would have given you it's light if you were like the rest of your people. The traveler wouldn't have given it's power to just another hostile fallen. You were probable very different from the rest of your kind maybe even an outcast." The ghost said hoping that might cheer them up.

Kelly wiped her eyes as she heard this hoping he might be right. Pekis thought about what he would have to be like to become an outcast in a Fallen house. "Okay, That makes me feel a little better I suppose." Pekis said unsure of what to think.

"I sure hope your right." Kelly said with hope "I hate the idea of having to kill Pekis."

Pekis' eyes widened as he was startled by her words. Kelly noticed that maybe she should have kept that last part to herself. There was an awkward moment of silence until Pekis spoke "Well I'm going to go see the gunsmith about getting a scout rifle."

"Ok I'll go find Bitsine and tell here about what I found."

The two guardians then split up while still thinking about there conversation.

 **Meanwhile**  
 **House of kings lair, location unknown**

The house of kings' lair was busy as usual. Dregs and vandal were moving equipment around or receiving orders from their superiors. Captains were sending scavenging parties to loot the cosmodrome for tech or getting status reports from kings outposts and spies they had infiltrate the other fallen houses. The Barons overseeing all the operations that they were placed in charge of. Running through the hidden bunker a captain rushed his way through after receiving information from a shank that was sent to spy on the fire team that had been disrupting their operations.

Making his way past several floors the captain final reached his destination in the deepest part of the Kings lair. He open the large door in front of him and walked in to the throne room. Inside he saw several banners with the kings' symbol hanging on the walls, several vandals using the computers some of which turned their heads towards the captain, and finally sitting of the top of a flight of stairs sat the kell of the house of kings. The kell towered over every other fallen in the house and wore the most advance armor covered in the color style of the house of kings. On his left stood the kings' archon priest and on the right was a baron both of which were currently speaking with him.

"These reports are most disturbing." The kell said with anger.

Noticing how bothered he was the archon spoke "Calm yourself brother, were not even sure that it is really him the devils have been speaking of." The archon said trying to calm his older brother.

The baron then replied to the Archon's statement "How can you say that. His body is not at the site we dump him at. I checked myself."

"Because if it was him he would have already made his way here to get his revenge." The archon stated looking down on his nephew.

The baron stared back at his uncle "Or maybe he is smarter then to try to attack us on his own."

"Enough both of you!" The kell said getting their attention. "Paskin did we get any information from the earth servitor?" He asked the baron

"No father. What managed to get was stolen back by Peekis and his-." Paskin was cut off when his father got up and stuck him in the face sending him flying a few feet.

"DON'T EVER SPEAK THAT NAME IN MY PRESENTS AGAIN!" The kell roared startling everyone in the room. He then noticed the captain standing at the bottom on the stair and sat back down as his son started to get back on his feet. "What is it captain?" he asked with anger still lingering in his voice.

The captain knelled down on one leg and spoke "My lord the shank we sent to spy on the guardians that destroyed our signal relays has returned."

"And what did it find?" The archon asked.

The captain press some buttons on his data pad and then a holographic projection of the shank's recording appeared. It showed the inside of the terrestrial complex littered with fallen bodies and finally it showed the three guardians responsible. The one that stood out the most was the one that was the same species as them. This caused everyone in the room to stop what they were doing and watch the events play out. The kell tightened his grip on his arm rests as he watched.

"So the rumors are true." The kell said growling.

"Yes but who is he?" The archon asked while focusing on the recording.

The recording then forwarded to when the fire team started searching the fallen bodies. The shank had been primarily focused on Pekis as he searched. Finally Pekis turned his head giving the shank a clear view of his face then the image froze. Paskin eyes widened as he saw that he was right. The Archon turned to his brother and notice that he had started to breath heavily as his rage was reaching it peak.

"Brother it seems that Paskin was correct. It is him."The archon said worried about how his brother was going to respond.

After a few very tense seconds the kell finally spoke "Peekis' death is now our highest priority!" He declared to the entire house. "And this time I'll make sure he stays dead with his family!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Four days later, Morning**  
 **Tower, Courtyard**

The past few days had been largely uneventful for the guardians. The fire team had not received any important missions from the vanguard and so they occupied their time with other activities. Pekis had mainly done solo patrols for the city to get some extra glimmer while Kelly and Bitsine continued to participate in the crucible. Pekis refused to join them because he was sure Shaxx had placed a bounty on him for the opposing teams. He was currently decrypting engrams he had collected in the cosmodrome so he could dismantle them for parts. After finishing that, he walked over to the railing so he could look at the view of the city. As he was thinking he heard someone walking up behind him. He turned around and saw Kelly and Bitsine smiling at him.

"Knew we'd find you here." Kelly said gladly.

"I see you two have finish your crucible match" Pekis said.

"Yup and I got enough marks to use at Shaxx's quartermaster frame." Bitsine said eager to finally get a legendary class weapon.

"I'd like to get one but that would mean being in the same room as Shaxx." Pekis said remembering the first time he and Shaxx saw each other. "I'm surprised he didn't attack me the first time I saw him."

"Yeah I can't believe you two haven't beat the crap out of each other yet." Bitsine replied.

"It's not like you can blame Shaxx after what he wen't through at Twilight gap." Kelly said recalling Shaxx's involvement

"Whatever" Pekis replied turning back to the view. "You know I've been thinking about something."

Kelly and Bitsine then joined him as they wanted to hear what he had to say. "About what?" Kelly questioned.

Pekis took a deep breath then answered "I've been thinking that maybe we should join one of the city's factions." This caught the two other guardians by surprise.

"Oh I didn't know you thought about that." Bitsine replied.

"Actually I've thought about that too." Kelly stated looking at Pekis.

Pekis turned his head toward her "You have?"

"Yes I figured It might be beneficial to have access to a faction's resources and weapon stores."

The mention of weapons caused Bitsine to get excited "I'm up for it you guys are." she said enthusiastically.

"Great now we just need to decide witch one to join." Pekis said

The fire team then spent the next half hour discussing witch faction to join. Pekis and Bitsine didn't want to join dead orbit because they though they were just cowards who'd rather run than fight to protect what they had left. They thought about new monarchy for a few minutes but none of them were interested in the politics of the city. Finally they decided on the future war cult because they all agreed that another war was bound to happen no matter where they were. The three of them left the tower courtyard made their way to the platforms over looking the hanger were the future war cult representative Lakshmi-2 was known to reside. After making their way up several flights of stairs and passing Amanda Holiday's post they made it to the small room overlooking the lower platforms that belonged to the Future war cult.

Lakshmi was looking over some reports from guardians she asked to clear out several areas filled with enemies when out of the corner of her eye she saw the fire team enter the room. The female exo was startled when she saw that one of them was the fallen that everyone had been talking about. She put the data pad she had aside as the three guardians approached her. "Greetings guardians." she said trying to remain as composed as possible.

"Hello are you Lakshmi-2." Kelly asked noticing that she was a bit on edge.

"Indeed I am." she replied "How can I help you guardians?"

"The three of us have decided to join the future war cult." Kelly said surprising Lakshmi.

Lakshmi was shocked to say the least. The eliksni guardian and his fire team decide to join their fraction. She pondered this revelation for a few moments then replied "Very well guardians, we are always looking for new supports for the war cause." She then turned her eyes to Pekis "Even if they are a bit exotic."

Knowing who she was talking about Bitsine place a hand on Pekis' shoulder "No need to worry about him we got him under control." Pekis then turned his head towards her and thought 'As if'.

After giving Lakshmi their information such as names, classes, etc Lakshmi gave them each necklaces with the Future war cult logo to signify that they were now members. They then took their leave now wearing their new necklaces showing where their allegiance was. As they continued walking Pekis' ghost appeared "I've just received a message from the vanguard. They want us to see them."

"Talk about timing." Pekis said looking back at his team mates.

"Right, do you think this is about us joining the future war cult?" Bitsine asked a bit concerned.

"No I don't think they involve themselves in was we do outside our usual duties." Kelly replied

"Well lets go see what they want." Pekis said as he resumed walking.

 **Tower, Hall of Guardians**

The vanguard were in deep discussion as they sent the message to Pekis and his fire team. "Are you sure they are up for the task Zavala?" Ikora questioned.

"No I'm not but give their success in their previous missions I believe they are to best suited to do it. This will also give them the chance to prove themselves against some of the worst the darkness can send against us." Zavala replied hoping that the guardians can finally end the problem that has been worrying him for weeks.

"I think they can do it no problem." Cayde interjected. "The devils are going to get their asses kicks!" Cayde said enthusiastically.

"I agree they are indeed very skilled but I'm not sure they are ready for a assault on the devil's lair." Ikora said with concerned.

Zavala made a big sigh "I understand but our scouts in the cosmodrome have reported that the house of devils are amassing and are preparing to assault the city. We need to nip the problem in the bud." Zavala finished as the fire team in question just entered the room.

The vanguard all turned their heads to the summoned guardians as they approached to table. After a few moments Zavala spoke "Ah yes your here."

"We received your message. What do you need us for?" Pekis asked.

"Guardians we have a serious problem brewing in the cosmodrome. The fallen house of devils have been preparing to large scale assault on the city. In the ruins of the cosmodrome the devils have constructed a new prime servitor called Sepiks Prime which since then has been giving them commands and strengthening the devils forces with large supplies of ether. Your mission is to infiltrate the devils lair, decimate their forces, and kill the devils backbone that is Sepiks." Zavala finished allowing the guardian a chance to ask questions.

Still Surprised by this Kelly was the first to speak "So you want us three fresh guardians to attack a fallen fortress and kill their machine god?"

"I know it is a lot to leave to a single fire team but unfortunately we don't have any other guardians that are up for the task." Ikora said trying to put their minds at ease.

"don't worry I have full faith in you." Cayde said half disappointed "Hell I wish could go to but I'm stuck here since I got roped into the vanguard."

bitsine stepped forward next to Pekis "What the hell I'm up for the challenge. What about you two?" She asked her teammates.

Kelly replied "If it needs to be done but I don't like our odds." She said with a doubtful expression.

Pekis himself also had his doubts about this but he knew what was a stake. After a few moments he spoke "Do you have any Intel on the devils lair and their forces? If were going to do this I would like to be as prepared as possible."

"Of course I'll send all the information we have on them to your ghosts." Ikora said wanting to help them however she could.

Kelly began to look over the data as soon as her ghost received it. As she reviewed it she saw that is was very detailed and looked back at Ikora "Thank you this will help a lot." she said with a tone of relief.

After seeing that Kelly was more at ease Pekis turned back to the vanguard "Thank you we will begin preparations for our mission."

"Light be with you guardians." Zavala said as they took their leave.

As they walked the guardians were still pondering their new mission. Despite their previous missions they had never thought that they would be attacking the heart of the house of devils. They all made sure to stock up on plenty of ammo synthesis. Bitsine went to Lakshmi to she watch legendary weapons she had for sale, Kelly waited in the courtyard with Pekis as they both went over the info on the devil's lair. they both sat down on the steps next to the cryptarch stand as they discussed their plan of action.

"Okay to the devils have a laser grid blocking the entrance to the yard outside of the-" Pekis stopped as he saw that Kelly was distracted by something. He was concerned for her so he asked "What wrong?"

His question snapped her out of her train of thought as she turned her head and look into his blue eyes "It's just nerves that all." she replied trying to hid the fear she had.

Pekis knew was her behavior was about "Hey I'm scared about this mission too." he said sympathizing with her.

"You don't seem like your afraid. You always look so calm and confident." she replied thinking back to their previous mission where Pekis usual had taken the leader role.

Pekis knew what she was talking about "Well it probable wouldn't be beneficent to moral if I look as scared as I did. Or maybe In my past life I was fallen leader and my subconscious remember's how to be a leader." He finish and looked away from her towards the ground.

Kelly saw that his amnesia and concern over who he might have been was still bothering him. She placed a hand on his lower right arm "Whatever you might have been before doesn't matter now. I'm just glad that your with us now to help fight against the darkness." she told him causing him to slowly turn his head back to her.

He wasn't sure what to say to her as his emotions built up a little in his throat. He was about to reply when Bitsine surprised them "Hey back from gun shopping." Pekis and Kelly broke apart and stood up to face her.

Both of them were a bit irritated that their conversation got interrupted. Pekis swallowed his emotions, took a deep breath, and asked "So what did you get?"

Bitsine picked up a vibe from them "Uh am I interrupting something?" She asked not wanting to be that girl.

Kelly replied quickly "No, no. we were just coming up with a plan for our mission."

"Okay then." Bitsine then transmitted a heavy weapon into her hand "I just got a future war cult warpath rocket launcher. This bad boy not only has target seeking rockets but also when one of them detonates it releases a pack of cluster bombs."

Pekis' eyes widen as he saw it. "Whow! now this will help clear the bastards out."

"Yeah" Kelly said as she moved closer to inspect the weapon.

"Now all we need now is to get a heavy weapon for Kelly." Bitsine stated

Bitsine statement reminded Pekis about an idea he got a few days ago while doing some recon on a fallen walker tank. "Actually I got an idea about that a few days ago."

"Really!?" Kelly asked surprised and glad that Pekis had thought about her.

"Yup and if were lucky we might just be able to pull it off." He said happy to see a smile on her face.

"Whow! aren't you the complete package. Four armed badass fallen, equipped with the traveler's light, and comes up with ideas to give guns to girls." Bitsine said smirking and giving Pekis a light punch to the shoulder.

"Just you wait. Now then lets get back to planing a strategy." Pekis said. Kelly and Bitsine both nodded in agreement then began looking at the devil's lair schematics.

 **two hours later**  
 **Cosmodrome, Rocket Yard**

After finishing their planning the fire team then transmated to their ships and made their way to the cosmodrome. The two ships that they had dropped them of at the edge of the Rocket Yard then took off back to orbit. They then got on their sparrows began their short trip towards the Refinery where the entrance to the devil's lair was located. Upon reaching the Refinery entrance they got off their sparrows and continued on foot through the building. After making their way down a flight of stairs they stopped outside a room were several dregs and vandals were standing guard. Pekis signaled his teammates to ready their grenades as he snuck up behind a lone dreg and wrap his top left arm around its neck.

"Now!" He shouted then Kelly and Bitsine rushed in and threw their grenades taking out several hostiles. Pekis then pulled out his shock pistol and picked off the remaining enemies. Finally with a quick twist of his arm his snapped the dreg's neck. "That went well. lets keep moving."

As they continued they ran past a old hive seeder ship. "Alright the laser grid should be just-" Kelly was cut off by the sounds of explosions and gunfire ahead of them.

"What the hell!?" Bitstine said as they stopped at the sound of the noise.

"Shit get ready to go loud." Pekis told his teammates as they moved ahead. As they enter the next room they saw a battle going on. The devils guarding the laser grid were in a bloody war against several hive that found their way there. "Open Fire!" Pekis said as Kelly and Bitsine had already begun shooting. Kelly managed to pick off two devil snipers that had taken position on the catwalk in the middle of the room overlooking everything with her pulse rifle. Pekis flanked the left side of the room with his shrapnel launcher as Bitsine flanked the right side with her auto rifle.

The devils were caught completely of guard by the appearance of three guardians. As Bitsine moved closer several thrall then move towards her direction, eager to feast on her light. She responded by unleashing her fists of havoc destroying them and a few acolytes close by. Kelly then perched herself on the edge of the catwalk as she continued picking of fallen that were protecting the computer for the grid. As Pekis move closer he finished clearing out the left side of the room and began helping Bitsine take out the remaining hive as Kelly finished off the last of the devils.

After the last acolyte had turned to dust the guardians regroup on the devil computer. Bitsine looked out to the far side of the room and pointed out the large amount of hive growths and crystals that were growing there. "That explains where the hive came from. Their trying to expand their territory and stumbled upon the devils here."

"Well to bad for them." Pekis said as they turned their attention back to the computer. Bitsine then brought out her ghost and had him begin the hacking sequence.

After a few second of waiting the ghost spoke "It's pretty complex, I'll need a few minutes." the ghost finish as an alarm went off. As they began taking defensive positions Bitsine then placed a ward of dawn around the computer to protect it and her ghost.

After they finished getting ready numerous dregs and vandals led by several captains emerged. The guardians immediately opened fire on the incoming fallen. Pekis switched to his new scout rifle that he bought to pick off the devils before they got to close. Bitsine switched to her shotgun for the fallen that tried to enter her ward. Kelly jumped up onto the catwalk that was behind them and began using her sniper rifle to take out the captains that took position in the back behind their soldiers. As they had finished the last of the wave they heard high pitched screeches coming from the tunnels that the hive growths were coming out of as another wave of fallen reinforcements with greater numbers and now with several servitors appeared.

Seeing how outnumbered they were now Pekis turned his head toward Bitsine and her ghost. "How much longer!"

"I'm half way there. just hold them off a little longer!" the ghost replied

After hearing this Pekis switched to his auto rifle as Kelly jump down from the catwalk and pulled out her fusion rifle for the larger enemies. As the devils closed in on the fire team a hoard of hive thrall appeared into the room followed by multiple acolytes, several Knights, and the wizard that was leading the group. The hive forces split up to deal with both of their enemies as the fallen servitors began to rain void artillery on them. The hoard of thrall began to approach the guardians in a attempt to flush them out of their positions. Seeing them getting closer Bitsine exited the ward of dawn to lure them away from her ghost.

"Hey zombie fucks eat this!" She shouted as she began pumping shotgun shell into the hive. The mob of thrall slowly keep getting closer despite Bitsine's shotgun fire reducing many of them into ash. She began to back up then tripped on something on the floor causing her to fall on her back leaving her vulnerable. Kelly was busy disintegrating several vandals that tried to get closer to them. Pekis turned his head from the acolytes he was exchanging fire with and saw Bitsine in dire need of help. He opened fire on the thrall that were approaching her and after the last thrall was dead Pekis failed to notice the knight that ran up behind him.

Bitsine saw the towering hive right behind Pekis but before she could warn him the knight brought his sword down on him cutting through his shields and him in half. "NOOOO!" She screamed as she aim her shotgun right at it. The first shell blew the knight's sword hand off and the second hit him directly in the face causing him to turn into dust. Bitsine got back up and ran to Pekis' ghost that was hovering right above his two halfs to keep him from permanently dying. She reached out her arm and began merging her light with the ghost's light and after a few seconds Pekis' ghost flashed a bright light then he was brought back.

"Damn it that hurt!" Pekis yelled now back to life. Now angered Pekis turned around to face the battle and activated his golden gun. As he took aim Kelly was now being pushed back as the wizard began firing arc blasts at her causing the wizard to become his first target. After pulling the trigger the first solar bullet pierced it's shield then it's heart causing the wizard to screech in pain as it was destroyed. The second shot was sent for a captain that was trying to sink in shock swords into Kelly who rain out of ammo for her fusion rifle. The bullet disintegrated the captain and saved Kelly from getting killed. The final shot Pekis fired at one of the servitors that were engaging the hive causing it to explode taking a few vandals next to it.

After Pekis' super ran out the guardians all regrouped inside the ward of dawn that was still holding strong against the incoming fire. The guardians began to reload their weapons then Kelly turned to Pekis "What was all that anger about?"

"A Knight split him in half." Bitsine answered while switching back to her auto rifle.

"Oh god are you okay!?" Kelly asked worried about her friend.

Pekis finished inserting a new mage into his auto rifle "Yes I am now thanks to Bitsine. Now lets get out there and finish these assholes."

With there gun ammo replenished the three exited the dawn as Bitsine's ghost was almost finished. Wanting to avenge what happened to Pekis, Kelly ran towards the hive's side of the room, jump into the air, and fired a nova bomb. This time the bomb split into three projectile which scattered to cover a wide area. When they made contact the bombs destroyed the remaining knights that were engaged in a sword fight with the remaining devil captains destroying them as well along with the all of the hive acolytes. With only one servitor left along with a few leftover dregs and vandals they were easy pickings for Bitsine and Pekis who finished them with arc grenades and gun fire.

With the room now cleared the guardians returned to the computer as Bitsine's ghost finished. "The grid is down we can go through now."

Relived Pekis responded "Great lets keep moving." As the guardians continued past the deactivated laser grid and through the ruined hallways they encountered several fallen blocking the way to the blast. They wiped out all that got in their way and after a few more minutes they exited the building and entered the blast. They jumped on top of a small building a few yards away to get a better look of the area. As they examined their surroundings they saw several skiffs dropping of fallen and shanks to reinforce the perimeter as well a fallen walker tank guarding the entrance to the devil's lair. They also saw that a skiff had landed on the ground next to the walker while fallen crews were loading crates inside them. "their probable getting ready for the assault on the city." Pekis said looking at the supply crates.

"Let me hand them our complaint." Bitstine said as she brought her new warpath launcher.

Pekis and Kelly smiled as they knew what she was thinking. Pekis pointed to the engines of one of the skiffs that had just dropped off reinforcements and was preparing to take off. "Think you can hit it?" Bitsine then aimed her launcher at the skiff and after she had a lock on she fired. The patrolling devils heard the shot and looked up and saw the missile fly towards the ship. After a few seconds the missile made contact, blew the right side engines off, and released several cluster bombs down on the fallen below. Before they could react the bombs detonated kill a good chunk on their forces.

The skiff pilot was panicking as he began losing control and altitude. The ship then started leaning towards the right and headed for the resupplying skiff. 'Fuck me!' The pilot thought as he pissed himself knowing what was about to happen. The ship then collided with the other causing a massive explosion which kill all the surrounding fallen and destroy the left legs of the walker disabling it.

The Guardians stared with open jaws behind their helmets at the unexpected turn of events. Pekis' mandibles were split wide open as he took of his helmet to get a better look at the aftermath giving Kelly and Bitsine a opportunity to see his opened mouth. "ghost did you record all that?" Pekis asked

"Yup." the ghost replied equally shocked by what happened. The remaining devils that were at a distance from the explosion were immediately demoralized and ran off believing it would be suicide to fight them. "Well that was incredibly easy." the ghost stated.

"Yeah the future war cult sure know how to make weapons." Kelly said recovering from her shock. With there being no resistance left the guardians causally walked towards the lairs entrance. As they got close to the disabled walker Pekis ran up to the front of the tank.

"What are you doing?" Kelly asked confused.

Without looking back Pekis replied "That idea I told you about." Pekis then brought out his ghost "Okay like we talked about. Do you think we can do it?"

Pekis' ghost floated next to the machine gun mounted to the under side of the walker's head and began scanning it. luckily the walker was turned on its side since its legs were destroyed making it easier to look at. "The gun is mostly intact. With some of our glimmer I can make it light enough to carry." the ghost finished then they both went to work. Kelly and Bitsine stood guard as Pekis and his ghost were working. After a few minutes they managed to detach the gun then Pekis picked it up with all four of his arms and carried it over to his teammates.

"Uh so what was the plan here?" Bitsine asked looking a the walker gun Pekis had placed on the ground.

"The plan was I take this new gun with me as my new heavy weapon." Pekis then transmated the machine gun he got from Cayde into his hand. "And then I give my old one to Kelly." He finished handing Kelly the weapon.

Kelly accepted the gun "So you went through all that trouble for me?" Kelly asked stunned.

"Yup I also made several modifications to that one so the recoil isn't a problem anymore."

"God damn you know how to improvise." Bitsine said.

"Thank you." Kelly said smiling as she wrap her arms around him again. Pekis returned the hug wrapping both sets of arms around her.

"Okay break it up you two we still have a mission to complete." Bitsine said causing Kelly and Pekis to pull apart. "Pekis can you even use that thing?" Right on cue the door blocking entrance the began to open. Pekis picked up the gun again, placed placed his lower right hand inside the gun to fire it, and ran around the walker corpse in front of the opening door. The gun barrels began rotating as a devil captain leading a squad stepped out eager to face whoever dared attack them. Before he could do anything he was immediately met with a instant barrage of arc bullets which cut right through his body hitting his men behind him. After ten seconds all the devils had been cut down and either turned into Swiss cheese or disintegrated.

As the barrels stopped rotating Pekis lowered the gun and turned back to Bitsine. "So does that answer your question?"

After a few second Bitsine replied "Yup" she said astounded by the display of firepower she just saw.

"Okay lets keep moving." Pekis said as he began walking over the dead bodies to get inside.

"Right" Kelly said following him with the gun she received from him in hand. She was follow by Bitsine who gotten over her astonishment. After making their way through several hallways and up a stairwell they finally made it the the devil's lair. The first thing they noticed was the large piles of bones everywhere. "What the hell have they been doing here?" Kelly asked with disgust.

Her ghost materialized and began scanning the bones. "Some of these bones belong to guardians who had their light swallowed by Sepiks. The others belong to people the devils pulled from stasis pods and offered to Sepiks as sacrifice making them older than the collapse."

"They Been feeding people to Sepiks!" Kelly said with alarm.

"That thing deserves to die. Lets ends this once and for all." Pekis said with new anger for the house of devils. They continued up another flight of stair and came to a stop at two large reinforced doors. After a few seconds the door opened revealing a most peculiar sight. A least a dozen dregs and vandals were on their knees bowing to a extra large servitor that was Sepiks Prime. Sepiks was encased in a energy shield as it was seemingly drawn some form of energy from it followers and the area itself. Upon seeing the display the guardians immediately opened fire upon Sepiks' worshipers wiping them out in only a few seconds.

Upon seeing its followers massacred and noticing the intruders that were there to kill it Sepiks dropped its shield so it could deal with the guardians itself. Sepiks then teleported to a distance as it began firing large void energy blasts. The fire team scattered to avoid the incoming attacks taking cover behind different parts of the lair. Pekis had taken cover behind large crates that were in front of were Sepiks use to be and after a few moments he got out of cover and began firing his new weapon at the prime. Kelly and Bitsine who were at opposite ends of the lair began assisting Pekis.

Noticing it was taking serious damage Sepiks began teleporting to different parts of the lair to avoid being shot at as two skiffs appeared to drop off reinforcements. Two captains leading two dozen devils dropped desperate to protect their god. Pekis saw the devils running up the ramps to for a counter attack and began focusing on them. He ran to the right side of the room were Bitsine was and began mowing down hostiles that made it up the ramp causing the one behind them to seek cover. As Kelly was using her new machine gun to deal with the devils on the left flank Pekis turned to Bitsine. "Bitsine use your launcher on Sepiks! We'll hold them off!"

After hearing the order Bitsine pulled out her warpath and began targeting Sepiks. Some of her missiles managed to hit the prime causing damage but Sepiks had armor more resistant than the skiff's. Two more skiffs appeared to drop of reinforcements as Pekis and Kelly wiped out most of the first wave. Multiply fallen also began to emerge from the different hallway entrances around the lair causing enemies to come at them from all sides. Seeing that there were numerous fallen in front and in back of her Kelly tried to jump across the trench in the middle of the lair to regroup with the others but unfortunately Sepiks had teleported to the flank see was just at giving it a perfect angle as it fired a void blast hitting her in the back.

Kelly's shield had managed to protect her but the impact pushed and made her hit the wall. She then fell and landed on her back rendering her unconscious. Seeing she was down Pekis and Bitsine rushed to her side while keeping the enemy at bay. Bitsine laid a ward of dawn then checked to see her condition while Pekis continued to mow down devils that tried to advance. "Shit shes been knocked out!"

"Fuck!" Pekis yelled as he tried to think of what to do. He turned his head and saw a stairs in the corner leading to the underside of the floor they were on. "Bitsine the stairs!" he yelled causing Bitsine to turn and see what he was talking about. Bitsine the switch to her shotgun and tossed Kelly over her shoulder then began running for the stairs with Pekis close behind. After running down the stair Bitsine placed Kelly in the back corner as Pekis followed. "Fucking shit now what?" Bitsine asked.

After a few moments Pekis responded "You stay here and protect Kelly I'll go back up and finish this." he said as he inserted a heavy ammo synthesis into his gun.

Bitsine was shocked to hear this "Are you sure you want to go alone?"

"We have to stop Sepiks here." he stated then walked back up the stairs. Pekis was then greeted by the remaining devil soldiers and the injured Sepiks Prime. The devils seeing that they were weakened attempt to charged Pekis but were ultimately gunned down leaving only Pekis and Sepiks. Pekis then began firing on Sepiks doing some damage but Sepiks continued to teleport. As Pekis tried to keep up Sepiks then teleported out of his sight. Pekis became confused on were it went not realizing that it had teleported right behind him. He turned around and saw the prime's eye staring right at him as it began some kind of suction.

Pekis could feel the air around him being pulled towards Sepiks as well as his own light. The pain of having his light pulled at cause him to drop his weapon as he fell back onto his elbows. "You have to get up or else I won't be able to bring you back!" Pekis ghost said with panic.

Pekis tried to hold on with all his might but was afraid that this might be it. Then some began to happen to him. As he was laying on the floor Pekis could feel something in him awaken. Suddenly numerous volts electricity started to arc around his body. As this happened Pekis started to feel his strength return as Sepiks continued its assault now confused by what was happening. As Pekis started to get back up two blades started to form in his upper hands but this were not the regular arc blades that hunters used when activating blade dancer. This blades became the size of swords that fallen captains would sometimes wield in battle.

Despite this turn of events the prime continued it attack. Still feeling the pull of Sepiks Pekis needed to escape it. As he tried he felt his light build up then in an instant he was teleported twenty yards away far outside Sepiks range. Pekis stumbled as he was surprised by what happened. "What was that?" He ask astounded by what just happened.

"I- I think that was blink." His ghost replied amazed and surprised. "But I never heard of blink teleporting hunters that far before. Your light is truly must really be strong for it to have that affect."

Pekis then pulled himself together and set his sight on back on the reason they were their in the first place. Now empowered by his now awaken blade dancer ability he ran towards Sepiks with his speed now increased almost matching a sparrow. As he got close he impaled one of his arc swords into Sepiks' side then ran underneath it while pulling his sword causing it to make a huge gash in its underside out threw its other side. Detecting the critical damage being inflicted upon it Sepiks tried to teleport away but with Pekis' powerful blink he was able to follow Sepiks anywhere it went.

As the now one sided battle continued Pekis continued make sever cuts all over Sepiks' body. In a last attempt to escape Sepiks teleported over the body of water that was just beyond the the ground they were on and tried to get out through the open roof. Pekis then teleported above it and landed on its face. He then impaled one of his swords into its body then raised the other in the air "Its pay back time for all the death you caused!"

Pekis began stabbing Sepiks around its eye Then with his two lower arms he pulled off the protective plate exposing the spherical visual optic. He than grabbed the optic with both of his lower hands and began to pull hard. As he continued the cable attaching the eye to the body began to break until it was fully ripped out. With all the critical damage and the loss of its sight Sepiks systems began to fail and cause it to fall into the water below. Pekis then blinked back to the ground of the devils lair with the eye in hand. As the prime fell Pekis' super wore off and he immediately collapsed from exhaustion.

At this time Kelly had started to wake up. "Uh what happened?"

"You were knocked out so we carried you hear." Bitsine replied relieved that she was okay.

"Wait were's Pekis?!" Kelly asked concerned that he wasn't there.

Pekis' ghost then contacted them on the comms. "Pekis is down! He needs help!" the ghost said frantically.

Scared for their friend the two guardians rushed back out into the open and saw all the dead fallen around. Their ghosts pointed them toward the water were they saw him on the floor. They ran up next to him and knelled down. Kelly lifted his head, took off his helmet, and laid his head on her lap. 'Please don't die' she thought as tears started running down her face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Two days later, Midday**  
 **Tower, Medical Ward**

Following the defeat of Sepiks Prime Kelly and Bitsine rushed to take their unconscious friend back to the city. After returning to the tower Pekis was immediately put under the care of the tower doctors. He was placed in on a bed to allow his body to rest and recover from the experience he had with his battle with Sepiks while medical staff checked on him regularly. Kelly and Bitsine reported to the vanguard on their mission success. While they were concerned with Pekis' condition the vanguard were ecstatic to hear about the death of Sepiks.

For the past two days Pekis had only been sleeping while Kelly and Bitsine visited him every once in a while. During that time Pekis had continually been having vivid dreams causing him to twist and turn in his bed. Some of them he could hear screaming, angry shouting, and in others he could see blood pooling on the floor or fires surrounding him. Some of the places he saw he could not remember.

 **Pekis' dream**

Pekis was is an empty underground facility. All the lights around him were dim and the room he was in looked like it had been abandoned. He began walking through the corridors to find a way out of the ominous facility. Every door he checked only lead to another hallway causing him to grow increasingly concerned. Desperate to find a way out he began running in one direction hoping it he might find an end by doing so. After a while he became exhausted and collapsed on the floor.

Pekis looked up an saw that the hallway in front of didn't seem to have an end. Feeling the situation was hopeless he placed his head on the floor wondering what he was suppose to do and afraid he might not see his friends again. After a few minutes he raised his again and looked behind him. When he did he saw another door just a few feet away startling him as he was sure that it was not their when he came through. He got back up a walked to it. He hesitated for a moment before opening it.

As the door opened it revealed a large dark room filled with blank banner hanging of the walls and active computer showing only static on the screens. In the middle of the room he saw another fallen about his size and wearing captain's armor by the looks of it. The captain was on his laying on his side as he was severely beaten. His armor was was breaking apart, his cape was torn, and he was losing blood from multiple wounds that he had. He was barely holding his torso up with his arms as Pekis slowly walked up to him.

When Pekis stood just a few feet away the captain looked up and saw him. The captain's helmet had been removed allowing Pekis to see his face that was showing that his was in severe pain. The captain then held out one of his hand as if begging for help. As Pekis tried to get closer the room started to shake and then numerous shadow hands burst out of the floor. The shadows wrapped around Pekis tightly keeping him from moving even an inch.

Then the shadow started to move one of his lower arms and made him grip the shock pistol in his holster. Pekis tried to fight them with all he had but they were to strong for him as they started to make him take aim at the captain. After a few moments the pistol was now aim directly at his head as tears started to fall from both the captain's and Pekis' eyes. Pekis heart was beating rapidly as he could do nothing as the shadows now wrapped around his trigger finger.

Finally he pulled.

 **Back to reality, medical ward**

The nightmare caused Pekis to stir and begin opening his eyes. He slowly began to see roof of the medical ward and after he turned his head to the side he saw medical equipment next to the bed he was on. Pekis began moving his arms around and notice that his armor was gone leaving the skin suit he wore under it. He began to raise his torso off the bed causing some of the staff to notice he was awake. Some of them rushed over to Pekis to check how he was doing while one of them left to tell his team.

After a half hour long medical exam he was discharged from the ward. After leaving he heard a familiar voice call to him "Pekis Your awake!"

Pekis looked towards the source and immediately had a pair of arms wrapped around him. He looked down and saw that it was Kelly "Great to see you too." Pekis said happy to see her. He look up and saw Bitsine walking up to them. She saw that the event had drawn some attention from some bystander guardians and tower workers.

"Well look who finally woke up." Bitsine said happily causing Kelly to pull away. "I thought you be in a coma for years."

Kelly turned to her "Please don't say that. I couldn't bear to think about that." she finish with hint sadness in her voice.

Pekis noticed that she was deeply bothered by what Bitsine had said. He placed a hand on her shoulder "Hey I'm awake now. No need to think about what could have happened."

Kelly cheered up after hearing him. The three guardians then began their walk towards the tower courtyard while Kelly and Bitsine told Pekis what had happened in the past two days. Pekis was relived to hear that the defeat of Sepiks Prime had thrown the house of devils into complete disarray. Without their machine god leading them the attack force they had prepared to assault the city had broken up as the devil's moral was severely depleted. Pekis was surprised to hear from them that the vanguard had sent in another fire team to recover the remains of Sepiks from devil's lair in order to keep them from rebuilding it.

After several minutes the guardians made it back to the courtyard were Bitsine had remembered something to surprise Pekis. "I got to get something from my vault. Be right back." Bitsine told them while running off. Pekis and Kelly walked over to the tree by next to the Banshee's store and sat down while waiting for their friend.

While waiting Kelly turned her head to Pekis "Do you remember that surge of power you had during your fight with Sepiks?" she asked.

Pekis thought for a moment then turned to her "Oh yeah I remember now. That power was intense."

Kelly smiled "Well your ghost sent the recording he had of it to everyone in the tower."

Pekis eyes widen as he heard the news "He did?!"

His ghost then materialized next to him "Yup" he said proud of his guardian. "I even sent copies of those two skiffs crashing. So far both of them have gotten extremely popular with everyone."

Pekis was about to respond when Bitsine finally returned. "Okay you ready?" She asked Pekis excitedly. After a moment she transmated something out of her inventory and into her hands.

When finished materializing Pekis recognized it "Sepiks' eye!" he said surprised.

Bitsine smiled happy that she was able to surprise him. "Yeah after you passed out we saw you were holding it in your arm So I brought it back with us. I figured you might want to keep it as a trophy." she finished as Pekis stood back up.

Pekis held out his arms and took it from her. He looked it over for a minute before looking back at her "Thanks I will keep it." he said appreciatively as he put it into his inventory.

Kelly then stood up herself "I also got you something." Pekis turned around to face her as she began transmating something onto the floor. When it was finished Pekis and Bitsine both look in shock. It was the mini gun Pekis had taken from the devil walker. "So what do you think?"

Pekis knelled down to get a better look at it and saw that it had been customized. He look back at her "You had it customized?" he asked surprised.

"Yes I did." Kelly said enjoying the look on his face. "After you went to the medical ward I took it to Banshee. He repaired the minor damage the explosion had done to it, Installed three handle bars so it's easier to hold, and customized the trigger with a grip so firing it should be simpler."

Pekis picked up the gun to get a feel for it. His upper arms held the handle bars in the front of the gun, his lower left held the one on the back left of it, and his lower right was holding the trigger grip. "Its not loaded so try giving it a whirl." Kelly suggested. Pekis then held down the trigger causing the barrels to begin spinning. He noticed that it seemed to be working better than before.

Pekis turned his face to her "I don't know what to say."

"Its okay were friends aren't we?"

"The best." He replied

"hear! hear!" Bitsine said as she wrapped her arms around both their necks. "By the way did Kelly tell you about the videos?"

Pekis placed the gun into his inventory "her and my ghost did." he replied

"Well both of them are hits! Your famous now." Bitsine said excitedly. She then took her arms off "And your power is incredible! I never heard of a blade dancer being that powerful before."

Bitsine's ghost then materialized "I told you guys he was a rare one."

"Yes, yes you did." Pekis' ghost responded.

 **One day later, Morning**  
 **Last City**

After recovering Pekis and his friends decided it was time for break from fighting. After some consideration they all decided to finally have a look around the city. While word of Pekis and his actions against the city's enemies had spread like wildfire he was still concerned about how the citizens would react to him. After changing into some casual clothing the three guardians took a transport into the city. After getting off in a public transportation hub the locals had immediately taken notice of the eliksni of the group.

Pekis noticed that he seemed to be the center of attention as he look around to see everyone had stopped what they were doing to see him. The constant stares had unnerved him a bit but he noticed that they were not glaring at him. They all seemed to simply be giving him looks of curiosity and others were looking at him with respect. "Well this is a bit disturbing." he said quietly to his friends.

Kelly noticed that he was bothered by all the stares. "Don't worry their just curious. They all know what you have done for the city." she said trying to reassure him.

"Told you you were famous now." Bitsine said with a slight smirk. She then turned her attention towards the crowd "Get back to what you were doing!" she yelled causing the crowd to move on.

Pekis made a sigh of relief "Thanks Bitsine I owe you one."

Bitsine turned back to him "Then the first round of food is on you." she said as she started walking towards the exit.

Kelly grabbed onto one of Pekis' arms "Come on lets explore." she said with excitement as she began pulling him with her as they followed Bitsine.

During the first few hours the guardians had spent their time sightseeing. They walked through the streets and saw all the different people ranging from humans to awoken to exos. The city was quite busy as different people walked around heading to work, Walking around with their families to sightsee as well, or just enjoying a stroll through the city. Pekis continued to receive looks from people he walked passed but it was not as bad a when he first arrived.

The guardians saw all sorts of stores, factories, and even a few schools that had been constructed. After a while Kelly came up with an idea "How about we try eating at one the restaurants."

Pekis though about it for a moment and decided he could go for some food. "Sure I'm up for it." he said to Kelly. Pekis then turned to Bitsine "Bitsine?"

"No exos don't need to eat. You two can go if you want, I'm gonna head back to the tower." She said as she began walking away.

"Okay see you in a little while." Kelly said then turned to Pekis. "So what kind of food would you like to try?"

"You pick I'm not that familiar with human food." Pekis replied.

Kelly look around for a suitable place to eat. After a few minutes she saw a small Chinese restaurant that was open. Kelly point to the restaurant "Lets try there."

Pekis turned his head and saw the restaurant in question. 'That looks promising' he thought as he could see food being prepared through the window. "alright I'll pay for it." he said causing Kelly to smile. They walked up to the door and after opening it Pekis could immediately smell the different foods being prepared from fried rice to teriyaki chicken. The employees and other customers took notice of the alien that walked in with the young girl in front of him.

They walked up to the front were the food was displayed through glass. A male awoken employee walked up to them "Can I help you?"

Kelly looked a the menu above them then turned back to the awoken "I'll have an order of chow mein with orange chicken and three egg rolls."

The awoken noded in understanding then turned to Pekis "And you sir?" he said with a hint of nervousness.

Pekis look at him "I'll have an order of fried rice with teriyaki chicken." he spoke calmly.

After taking their orders the awoken asked them to have a seat while they waited. They sat down at a window booth across from each other as they waited patiently. Pekis looked out the window and saw busy pedestrians go about their day. Kelly decided to start a conversation to pass the time "So how are you enjoying our little sabbatical?"

Pekis turned back to her "I been nice seeing the city for the first time. I could do without the onlookers though." Pekis turned his head around and saw some of the other customers turn away from him and back to their food.

Kelly laughed a bit "What can you do. you got a fan base now."

Pekis turned back to her and smiled. He enjoyed hearing the sound of her laughing because it had a soothing effect on him. "What do you think is more strange to them? the fallen sitting here or the young girl keeping him company?"

Kelly smiled as she thought about it. After a few moment she responded "I think its going to be what you look like when you eat."

Pekis made a chuckle as the waiter came with their food. After the waiter left Pekis pick up a fork and tried a piece of Teriyaki. As soon as it touched his tongue he immediately loved it. After swallowing his first piece he spoke "This is really good."

"Glad you like it." Kelly said smiling as she took a bit of an egg roll. After half an hour they finished their food. Pekis paid the total then they took their leave. "We should come back hear sometime." Kelly said with a satisfied look on her face.

Pekis rubbed his full stomach and responded "Definitely."

Kelly then wrapped one of her arms around one of his upper arms "Shall we head back now."

Pekis then wrapped his lower arm around her waist. "Sure." he replied as they began walking back to the hub. After a few hour they made it back to the hub as night was starting to set but before they could make it inside there was trouble. There was a few drunken vagrants wandering around the entrance. They tried to ignore them as they headed to the entrance but one of them grabbed Kelly by her shoulder.

"Hey baby how would you like to have a good time tonight." he slurred as he clearly had no idea who he was pissing off.

Kelly knocked his arm off and turned to him "Not interested." she said angered that her day starting turning in this direction. The drunk's friends noticed to commotion and walked over behind him.

"Come on cutie what are you doing with the walking gecko." One of the new comers said gesturing to Pekis. Pekis realizing it was an insult clenched his fists and began a low growl.

The anger in Pekis was starting to build up as he spoke "I suggest you take you stupid shit elsewhere." he said placing a finger on the leader's chest.

The leader smack the Pekis hand away "Fine" he said as he started to step back. "But she must be a real whore is she actually banging a-" before he could finish Pekis brought his foot up to the drunk's gut. The impact knocked the wind out of him and lifted him off the ground. When he landed on his ass he fell back and passed out.

One of his friends then threw a bottle at Pekis but he quickly move out of the way. Another one charged him and tried to punch him only for Pekis to grab his arm and throw him over his shoulder sending him flying a few feet. The next one tried to make a grab Kelly but she caught him by the wrist and began twisting it stopping him in his tracks. She then made three consecutive punches to his groin causing him to fall to his knee howling in pain. The one Pekis threw got back up as the bottle throwing one was about the make another move.

Pekis then transmated his shock pistol out of his inventory as Kelly pointed her arm at the bottle thrower with fire emitting from it. The two remaining drunks then realized what they had gotten themselves into and ran off leaving the other two behind on the floor. Pekis and Kelly put their weapons away quickly head inside before anyone could see them. Luckily there usual wasn't anyone around the hub during that time of day.

They finally made it onto a transport headed back to the tower. They were the only ones on board as they sat down. "God damn it! why did those assholes have to ruin our day?" Kelly said upset by the events that just happened.

Pekis wrapped his arm around her to comfort her "Relax we still had a great time." he said trying to sooth her.

Kelly turned and look up to his face "I know." she said calming down. "I just didn't wan't our first trip inside the city to be tainted like that."

"Me neither but even so we still had fun. And we taught those dicks a lesson." Pekis stated with pride. "I thought the way you handled that guy to incredible."

Kelly cheered up after hearing him. She smiled as she remember what Pekis had done for her. "Thanks for defending me like that."

Pekis was happy that she had gotten better "I won't ever let someone talk to you like that ever."

for the remainder of the trip Pekis and Kelly were silent as they simply enjoyed being in each other presence.


	7. Chapter 7

**Four days later, morning**

 **Crucible, Banner fall**

After getting back from their trip to the city the fire team had decided to participate in the crucible once again. Pekis was most eager to master his new powerful blade dancer super. At first it proved difficult for him to both activate and maintain in battle. In the beginning he could only use it in short intervals and it used up a lot of his stamina. As time progressed the he was able to use for longer durations of time with less of a toll on him. Eventually Pekis was able to use it with ease and whenever he activated his power it felt as natural to him as he did without it. Due to this major improvement the number of wins his team was getting skyrocketed.

Pekis, Kelly, and Bitsine were currently in a mayhem clash match in the crucible. They were fighting in the Banner fall tower arena and so far Pekis and the rest of alpha team had a huge league. The score was alpha 94 Bravo 70. Right now Bitsine and two other guardians on their team were moving across the open yard with the large tree by the railing on the edge of the tower. As they were moving two members of bravo team started firing at them from the balcony. The bullets fired managed to hit Bitsine shields a few times but she managed to take cover behind the mohawk in the middle of the yard with the warlock she was with.

Unfortunately the two opposing guardians manage to kill the other titan that was with them. They continued to fire keeping them pinned down as the warlock spoke to Bitsine "I'll jump over and hit them with a nova bomb. You run around the side and shoot them while they are distracted."

Bitsine noded in response "Sounds like a plan." she finished as she was getting ready to run. Bitsine looked back the warlock signaling him to proceed. The warlock then jump on top of the mohawk then jump again getting several feet higher the the opposing guardians on the balcony catching their attention. They immediately began shooting as the warlock fired his nova bomb causing the his opponents to try to jump out of the way. When the bomb mad contact it manage to kill the enemy titan but missed the hunter who activated his golden gun in mid air and shot the warlock in the head. The hunter then began looking around for bitsine who had prepared a arc grenade and threw it at him. The grenade stuck to his chest then exploded destroying the hunter.

With the enemy dead for now Bitsine radioed to the rest of alpha team. "It's clear on my end. What about your's?"

Pekis responded "We're working on It!" he said under fire. Pekis was taking cover behind one of the large doors on the opposite end of the tower as the other four members of bravo were shooting. Pekis returned fire with his new For The People auto rifle he got from the crucible quartermaster. As he was distracting them Kelly and other hunter with them ran around through the cubby next to the door to flank them. They ran into the building on the other side, up the stair case inside, and saw an enemy warlock standing on the other side of the window on the perch outside.

Kelly aimed her new future war cult The Conduit pulse rifle and shot sending a burst of rounds to the warlock. The first burst took out his shields then a second burst pierced his helmet killing him and causing his body to fall off the perch catching the attention of his teammates. After they saw his body drop the rest of bravo jump up onto the perch and made their way inside. As soon as they saw Kelly and the hunter they sent a volley of fusion rifle rounds at them forcing them to head back down the stairs.

Pekis realized the situation they were in and moved out of cover to follow the opponents. He then focus his light and activated his blade dancer his auto rifle replaced with duel arc swords as he blinked himself onto the perch. With incredible speed he ran inside where the opposing guardians notice his presence. They tried to turn around to shot but Pekis was far too fast for them as he immediately impaled the closest one with one of his swords. Pekis then spun a 360 degree turn on his foot and brought down his other sword cutting the second guardian in half. The Third managed to aim his fusion rifle at him and fire sending balls of solar energy at him. Before they made contact Pekis blinked behind the titan and before he realized what had happen Pekis impaled him in the back causing the sword to come out through his chest. Pekis then used his second sword to decapitating the surprised titan ending the match.

"The winner is Alpha team." Shaxx announced on the radio. After the announcement Pekis deactivated his super and he along with all the other participants had their ghosts send them back to their ships.

 **Few minutes later**

 **Fire team's ships, on route to tower**

"God damn we are on a roll!" Bitsine shouted over the radio with pride over their streak of victories. "Thanks to Pekis we got plenty of marks to buy better equipment."

"Good thing you been practicing your blade dancer so much lately." Kelly said still sitting in the seat behind Pekis. While Kelly still did not have her own ship yet It didn't bother her or Pekis as they both secretly enjoyed their arrangement.

Pekis turn his head around to face her "Yes it is. Before it put my body under a lot of stress but now I only feel stronger with it."

"Well if you keep this up they'll have to ban us from the crucible." Bitsine stated

"Maybe they'll have to or else no one else will want to participate." Kelly replied chuckling

After several more minutes the guardians had returned to the tower. Pekis and Bitsine went to talk to Lakshmi about buying new weapons while Kelly went to the warlock libraries. While she was there Kelly studied the hive and their claim on the moon. She was always interested and disgusted by the hive and how they go from world to world destroying any life they came across. Despite all the information at the libraries there was really no information on how the hive came to be the undead light devouring race they are now.

As she was reading her ghost materialized "You really like reading about the hive." the ghost stated breaking Kelly's concentration.

Kelly turned to her ghost "Well I figured it was best to learn all I can about our enemies." she said. "I'm surprise that a race that pledge its allegiance to the darkness isn't as strong as I would have thought."

"Well you've only seen the lesser hive in action." Ikora said startling Kelly causing her stand up out of her chair.

She turned around and saw the warlock vanguard Ikora standing in front of her. "Ikora what can I do for you." Kelly said surprised.

Ikora noticed that her presence had caught her by surprised. "Calm yourself. I just came here to get information for some of our field scouts and I saw you here."

Kelly took her advice and calmed down. She then focus her attention back to Ikora "Well I just been doing research on the hive."

"I see." Ikora replied. "And to your earlier statement the hive you and your team have already faced are only lesser hive. The ascendant hive have much stronger connection to the darkness and are the ones that even veteran guardians like my self must be wary of."

Kelly was intrigued by the mention of ascendant hive. "Are their any ascendant hive on earth?"

"No they mainly stay in their underground fortresses on the moon. No ones ever seen one since the great disaster years ago." Ikora finished remembering the massacre on the moon.

Kelly had read about the disaster before. The army of guardians sent to reclaim the moon but were destroyed by the hive champion Crota. "The hive responsible for it was Crota wasn't it."

"Yes it was. Crota is one of the gods of the hive. The ones that stand above all other members of their race." Ikora replied.

"Well while I've been reading I noticed that our information on them is somewhat limited." Kelly stated.

"That because we only have what our scout have been able to record from field missions." Ikora replied reminded that the libraries Intel on the hive was lacking. "The hive may have databases on the moon but the vanguard have declared it off limits after the great disaster."

While Kelly was enjoying their conversation she thought it would be best to let Ikora continue with her business. "Well thank you for your input Ikora. I should let you get back to your business."

"Very well. Its been a pleasure speaking with you Kelly." Ikora said. She then bowed her head and was about to walk away when her ghost suddenly appeared.

"Ikora I'm receiving a distress beacon." the ghost said stopping Ikora in her tracks.

Kelly's ghost then spoke "I picking up the signal as well."

Ikora turned to her ghost "Where is the signal coming from?" she asked concerned.

After a few moment her ghost replied "It seems to be coming from the moon."

This caught Kelly and Ikora by surprise. "I thought the moon was off limits?" Kelly asked confused.

Ikora turned back to Kelly "It is." she stated. "This guardian must of went on his own accord."

Kelly thought for a few moments 'If their is a guardian in trouble then we should try to help him. After a few more moments Kelly spoke "Ma'am let me and my team rescue the guardian."

Ikora was surprised by her request. She didn't want her team to go. After their recent success in the cosmodrome it would be a huge loss to loss them but she knew she couldn't stop them if that is they wanted. "You team can go if you wish. I can't stop any of you but if you get in trouble the vanguard won't send support."

Kelly considered her words carefully before responding "Very well. I have to go ask Bitsine and Pekis first." Kelly then left the library to look for her friends. As she left Ikora prayed to the traveler that they would come back successful.

 **Tower, courtyard**

Pekis and Bitsine had finished their trading with Lakshmi and were now conversating in the courtyard. "You know now that were better armed we could probable start fighting on other worlds now." Bitsine said as she was looking over her new future war cult crash shotgun. Pekis was examining his new Calling scout rifle when he heard her. He knew that they were getting stronger with all the battles they had been in recently but he was unsure of going to other planets.

Pekis turned away from his gun and looked back at her "Maybe but I'm not sure. Their are a lot more powerful enemies in the rest of the system then on earth." Pekis had read about the other hostile fractions in the solar system. From the time traveling vex on venus to the war hungry cabal on mars.

Bitsine understood his concerns but with fallen on earth now crippled she believed that they should try to gain ground in the rest of the system. "You might be right but now that the fallen have been pushed back we should use this opportunity to start focusing our efforts elsewhere." Bitsine was hoping she could get Pekis to come around on the issue. "Plus with that old array that one fire team managed to activate Rasputin now has access to orbital defense grids on earth and the rest of the system so it won't be like were completely alone out their."

Pekis thought for a moment as he had remembered hearing about the array's activation. 'With Rasputin's aid in the rest of the system it should be safer to do missions off world' he thought. After a minute he responded "I suppose your right." Bitsine felt a smile beginning to creep up on her metallic face. "But even if we did go where would we start?" Pekis asked causing Bitsine to wonder herself.

Right on cue both their ghosts materialized. Pekis' ghost was the first to speak "I'm picking up a distress beacon coming from the moon."

"Me too." Bitsine ghost stated.

This turn of event surprised both guardians. "Talk about timing!" Bitsine exclaimed happy that they had their starting point.

"Indeed." Pekis responded while confused about the beacon. "What is a guardian doing on the Earth's moon? I thought it was off limits by order of the vanguard."

Pekis' ghost answered "Guardians are allowed to travel there if they want but won't have any support from the city if they get in trouble."

Soon after the ghost's response Kelly arrived running. Pekis and Bitsine turned to her surprised by her sudden arrival. Kelly stopped to catch her breath then spoke to them "Guys my ghost just picked up a distress call from a guardian on the moon."

Pekis eyes widened after hearing her "Our ghosts picked up the signal has well." he said catching Kelly by surprise.

"Well I think we should go help whoever sent it." Kelly stated not wanting to just abandon the guardian.

Bitsine smiled and place a hand on Kelly's shoulder "Well your in luck. Me and Pekis were just talking about fighting beyond earth." She then turned back to Pekis "So what to you say. How's this for a starting point?"

"It's the best one we got." Pekis replied. He saw the look on Kelly face and saw that this rescue mission meant a lot to her. "So lets get to it."

His answer cause Kelly's face to brighten up. She was glad to know she wasn't alone for this. "Thanks you guys."

"Of course that's what friends are for." Bitsine said. "Plus it's our job as guardians."

With that the guardians set out to prepare for their mission.

 **One hour later**

 **Earth's moon**

After making necessary preparations the fire team boarded their their jump ships and made their way to luna. As they approached they got a closer look at the moon's surface. The surface was grey, barren, covered in rocks and craters. In the distance they could see a large fracture in the surface witch pushed large parts of the surface up creating a massive chasm with huge amounts of smoke rising from it.

The journey was silent as the guardians drew closer to Archer's Line. The silence was broken when Pekis' ghost spoke up "I used to look up here at night and wonder what the Hive were doing, but the only activity I could ever pick up was hazy. Like it was blocked or buried." After a few more moments their ship dipped towards the ground and finally the guardians were transmated to the outskirts of Archer's Line.

After touching down on the surface the guardians took a moment to examine their surroundings. As they looked towards the distant wasteland behind them they knew that this planet was dead. They saw abandoned equipment and crates close to them. Kelly looked up to the sky and her eyes widen as she saw the clear view of the stars witch blanketed the sky as well as the Earth shinning bright in the light of the sun. 'Beautiful' she thought as she took in the marvelous site.

After they were finished taking in the sights they made their way up the hill as Pekis ghost spoke over the comms "The Guardian came here, searching for a way into the Hive Fortress. Let's pick up his trail. His last known coordinates are up ahead."

After a few seconds of jogging they made it to the top of the hill were they were greeted by the sight of an abandoned facility. The facility was one large rectangular shape held up by several support columns with a long metallic rod extending out from the font and stretching into the far distance wasteland beyond. Bitsine took a moment to examine it "What is this place?"

Bitsine ghost responded "This is an old particle accelerator. The guardian's last report stated that he captured it from an unknown fallen house."

The last thing the ghost said caught Kelly's attention. 'Is it a new house?' she thought to herself. Her train of thought was broken by Pekis "Lets head inside. There might be a lead we can use."

As they proceed they ran past several smaller buildings filled with degraded computer equipment that had been built underneath the length of the accelerator. The guardians ran through the the support columns passing more abandoned equipment on the way until finally making it inside. The interior was dark as their was no power being sent to the lights and the floor was covered by surface debris.

As they looked around the room Pekis' ghost spoke again "Some of this equipment show recent activity. Had to be the Guardian's Ghost."

"Which computer?" Pekis asked. His ghost then materialized and floated over to a console. The fire team followed and upon getting closer they saw several ancient corpses half buried in the dirt close by. "Something bad did happen a long time ago."

The ghost began hacking into the computer. After a few seconds the computer sprung to life as the lights began to flicker on and the sounds of machines being turned on were heard. "Alright, he was looking for the remains of an old colony base Not to far from here. Maybe he's still there."

"Alright, lets get moving." Pekis said. The guardians then made their way out to the building and upon getting outside they were ambushed. several fallen wearing green styled armor dropped down from the support columns armed with shock rifles and swords. "Shit ambush!" Pekis yelled as he drew his For The people auto rifle.

The fallen scattered after Pekis killed a vandal that charged him. Bitsine readied her crash shotgun as a another cloaked vandal was about to pounce on her from the side. Before he could swing his bland he slipped on the loose gravel on the floor catching Bitsine's attentions. The last thing he saw was the barrel end of Bitsine's gun before having a hole blown threw his chest.

Pekis and Kelly finished the last of the fallen as a few skiffs appeared and dropped more fallen. The guardians spread out to deal the squads of fallen. Kelly was making quick work of them with her Conduit pulse rifle while Pekis and Bitsine move closer to deal with the fallen on their end. Pekis exchanged fire with a fallen captain while Bitsine was dealing with a group of dregs protected by a servitor.

The ether field the servitor was emitting was making the dregs around it stronger and more resilient for Bitsine's gun fire. "Screw this!" Bitsine said as she put her gun away and began charging them. Bitsine dodged the arc bullets shot at her and jump high in the air. She then focused her light and dropped a fist of havoc landing right on top of the servitor unleashing a shock wave killing the surrounding dregs.

Pekis finished the captain and saw that Bitsine and Kelly were clear on their end. "Okay, were done here lets-" Pekis was cut off as he was shot in his back. "What the fuck!" Pekis turned around and saw several dregs riding pikes. The dregs fired arc projectiles from the front of their pikes as they sped towards the guardians.

One of the dregs saw Pekis and sped up in an attempt to run him over. Pekis realized his intention and at the last moment jumped out of the way. Kelly and Bitsine opened fire on the pikes but they were to fast for them to get a decent shot.

"Fuck this!" Bitsine yelled angrily as she put her dealbreaker auto rifle away and brought out her warpath launcher. She took aim, locked on to one of the pikes, and fired. By the time the dreg noticed what was coming it was too late as the missile hit and destroyed the pike. The missile left behind a series of cluster bombs as a second pike drove past the debris. The bombs exploded damaging the pike and causing it to crash into a boulder killing the driver.

The last pike made a 360 degree turn to make another attempt at running Pekis over but this time he was ready. As the pike approached Pekis readied himself to jump again. when the pike drew closer Pekis jump slightly to the side. when the pike was about to pass him he reached out and grab onto the pike as it drove by taking him with it.

Pekis immediately latched all four of his arms onto it as the driver turned his head to him and realized the mistake he just made. Pekis looked at the driver "Nice pike." he told the dreg as he pulled out his shock knife. In one quick move he stabbed the dreg in the back of his neck and pushed him off. Pekis then positioned him onto the seat and took the controls.

Bitsine and Kelly looked around for Pekis but they couldn't see him. As they searched Bitsine saw another pike headed their way. "Damn it." she said as she prepared to fire her launcher. Before she could Kelly rushed over to her and pushed the barrel up.

"Wait!" Kelly said as the pike got closer. After a few seconds the pike slowed down and turned to the side as it stopped revealing Pekis to be the driver.

Pekis turned to them "Hello ladies. Can I give you a lift?"

Bitsine was surprised by this turn of events. "Fuck Pekis I almost blew you up."

Kelly was slightly stunned "You actually captured one of the pikes. How?"

"When that dick tried to run me over again I jumped on and pushed him off."

Bitsine cursed to herself "Damn it! Why didn't I think of that."

Kelly moved closer to examine Pekis' new ride. "Well your just full of surprises." she said smiling behind her helmet.

Pekis smiled back behind his helmet "Well I figured a ride with mounted guns was a need to get." Kelly and Bitsine mounted their sparrows as they began their trip to the colony base with Pekis leading them on his new pike. After a few minutes of riding they finally arrived at the colony base Anchor of Light. As they looked around they were surrounded by the abandoned ruins of the colony.

"That building there. That were he was headed." Pekis' ghost said sending the guardian's way point to a large structure standing on one support column in the middle of an intersection. As they approached a group of fallen patrolling the area spotted them. Pekis was able to make quick work of them using his pike's guns. They disembarked their rides and made it up to the inside of the base.

Upon reaching the inside Pekis' ghost materialized made his way towards a computer console in the middle of the room. "Looks like he set up camp here. Let's see what he left behind." the ghost said as he began scanning the console. A few moments later the ghost spoke again "His notes. They're all about a place called the Temple of Crota."

The mention of Crota's name caused Kelly to flinch. Pekis noticed Kelly's reaction "Are you okay." he asked concerned.

Kelly hesitated before responding "uh yeah i'm okay. It's just that I talked to Ikora about Crota earlier."

Reassured Pekis turned back to his ghost "The temple is not far from here. We can get there on foot. I'm sending you the coordinates."

With the ghost finished the guardians exited the building and made their way to the temple. The ghost was correct about it not being far away. In a few minutes they made it to the edge of the base, passed through a small canyon, and finally they were standing on a hilltop overlooking the temple entrance.

"I think we found the temple." Bitsine ghost said.

"You think?" Bitsine replied.

They guardians made there way down the down the hill passing small boulders and ruble along the way. As they approached they saw a body laying down a few yards away from the door. Pekis knelled down next to it to examine it "Looks like like a titan. Shit were to late."

Pekis ghost materialized to begin scanning the body. "There's nothing left. Not even the light." The ghost turned away from the body and began looking around "Where's his ghost?"

Kelly and Bitsine turned their heads towards the temple doors. They began to walk towards it as Pekis ghost was also doing the same. Pekis took one last look at the body then stood up to follow them. Before he could take a step he heard something behind him and turned around.

Pekis looked around and saw someone standing on one of the mountains surrounding them. He narrowed his eyes to see the the hooded figure that was staring back at him while holding a strange rifle. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from the door and turned back.

Pekis looked back at the door as his friends started to back away from it and the locks keeping it closed started to vaporize. The fire team brought out their weapons as the doors began to open. Upon opening a hoard of thrall and acolytes started to flood from the entrance.

The guardians began gunning down every hive that came their way. After most of the thrall had been reduced to dust Pekis motioned for his friends to move in. As they advanced on the temple they pick off several more acolytes that were still standing. When they reached the entrance a hive knight appeared.

The knight roared swung his sword causing the guardians to back away. It then began to charge Kelly who focused her light into her hand. Once the Knight was an arms length away Kelly reached out and struck the knight with a incinerate attack. The knight then caught on fire causing it to wail as Pekis follow up with a incendiary grenade destroying it.

With the bulk of the hive forces dead the fire team made their way inside the temple as a wizard from one of the corridors above them. The wizard fired energy blasts at the intruders making them take cover. Pekis ran around to catwalk on the side of the room to flank it as his friends distracted it with gunfire. He activated his golden gun and took aim.

Pekis fire the first shot but missed as the wizard moved to dodge the bullets coming from the others. The second pierced its shield, took off one of its arms causing it the shriek and turn its attention to Pekis. As the wizard was about to fire the last shot fired taking off its head killing it. With the hive defeated the guardians regroup at the alter that the hive were defending.

As they approached the guardian saw a ghost place in the middle of the alter. Kelly picked up the ghost as her own ghost began looking at it. "The ghost is dead, but I can still read some of its memories. The hive are raising an army here, preparing to invade earth. We need to stop them."

Pekis made a loud sigh "Well this complicates things."

Kelly turned to him "Great first we failed to save the guardian, and now we have to deal with a hive invasion." she said with a disappointed tone.

"We can take them." Bitsine stated trying to boost her friend's morale.

Pekis spoke up "Witch ever the case lets recover the titan's bodies and head back to the tower." After he finished speaking the guardians returned back outside. Pekis picked up the body as their ghosts transmated them back to their ships and they began the journey back to the city.


	8. Chapter 8

One week later Earth's moon, Archer's line

Following their failed mission to rescue the guardian the fire team returned to the tower to give their report to the vanguard. The news of the hive preparing for an invasion of earth got the full attention of the vanguard. After receiving the report Zavala ordered a second fire team to set up a transmate zone at Archer's line and the vanguard had begun sending fire teams to the moon to deal with the hive. Within the first day guardians had managed to clear Archer's line of the remaining fallen that were still there and now had taken it to use as a base of operations for the tower on the moon.

Over the course of the week fire teams had been sent to patrol, scout, and hit the hive at key points. One of the most notable achievements that have been accomplished so far are the destruction of Crota's sword ensuring that Crota's ultimate weapon could no longer be used against the city again. Another success was when a fire team destroyed the shrine to Oryx cutting off the hive's long distance communications. With the recent series of victories against the hive the city's foothold on the moon continues to grow stronger as the darkness is pushed back.

After a week of fighting Pekis, Kelly, and Bitsine were currently inside the new base at Archer's line to resupply. Archer's line had been greatly improved in the week since the guardians had moved in. Multiply fortifications had been placed all around the facility and guard posts were now placed to watch all the roads leading to Archer's line. The buildings have received plenty of repairs and become functioning once again as computer systems were restored along with other equipment.

Pekis was currently exchanging words with the new quartermaster as Kelly and Bitsine waited for him. With the facility's systems restored and the surface debris removed from the inside the compound could now seal itself off from the vacuum outside allowing guardians to take off their helmets while inside. "This place sure has come around since we first came here." Kelly said looking around at the improved facility.

Bitsine knew what she meant. With all the changes that were made its was hard for her to remember what Archer's line use to look like when they first arrived. "Sure has. Crazy to think this place use to be a tomb. Definitely glad they removed the corpses." Bitsine stated.

Once Pekis was finished with his business he returned to his team. "Alright my supplies are replenished."

"So what's next on the to do list?" Bitsine asked.

Kelly realized this was the opportunity she had been hoping and responded "Well I've had an idea for a while now."

Bitsine turned to her "What idea?"

"Well I've been thinking that maybe we could look for the world's grave inside the hive fortress." she said catching her friends by surprise.

Pekis was a bit confused by her suggestion "What is the world's grave?"

"Its a large area within the hive fortress with a database that contains information on their history."

"Why would you want find that?" Bitsine questioned.

Kelly was a bit hesitant to respond " Well because the warlock libraries information on the hive are a bit limited and I figured that the world's grave could give us more insight on them."

Bitsine began to chuckle a little then gave her a slight punch to the shoulder. "Kelly sometimes you are such a nerd." Kelly face reddened a little from embarrassment.

Pekis saw the slight embarrassment Kelly was feeling a tried to comfort her. "Any new information on the hive will always be of use. So unless you have a better idea Bitsine." Pekis finished looking a Bitsine waiting for an answer.

Bitsine looked back at Pekis seeing all four of his eyes were focused on her. "Uh no I don't."

"Ok its decided." Pekis declared causing Kelly's facial expression to lighten up. With that the guardians put their helmets back on as they went back outside and were greeted by the site of other guardians still working on the base's fortifications. Most of the abandoned equipment had either been removed, repaired to be used, or stripped for parts. The smaller building that were underneath the accelerator had been put back to use as the computer's inside them had been restored.

Pekis mounted his pike as his team mates mounted their sparrows then they made their way out of the base's perimeter. The guardians stationed at the guard posts gave them a wave as they proceed out of Archer's line and to the Hellmount. After passing through a small canyon they began their trip around the seemingly endless dark chasm that was in the center of a large crater and proceeded to the entrance to the hive fortress that was on the opposite side.

"So how deep do you think a goes." Bitsine asked over the comms as she looked towards the chasm.

"Knowing the hive it probably ends near the moon's core." Pekis responded.

As they neared the entrance Pekis' ghost suddenly spoke "I'm receiving a urgent transmission on all channels."

Pekis clenched his fist and raised it motioning for his team to stop. One the guardian stopped Kelly ghost responded "I'm picking it up too."

"Me too." Bitsine ghost stated

Puzzled Pekis asked "Who's it from?"

"It's from the Speaker." Pekis' ghost announced with awe in its voice.

The guardians were surprised to say the least. As the the ghost played the message they payed full attention to the Speaker's voice "Nothing is more important now. We believe the Hive are engaged in a ritual that is draining the Traveler of its light. Whatever power they wield must be understood and destroyed."

As the message ended the guardians look at each other. "Well looks like there's been a change in plans." Pekis stated.

"Damn it! Why do the hive have to ruin everything!" Kelly said frustrated.

"Nerd." Bitsine chuckled causing her to receive a glare from Kelly.

Sensing the tension Pekis intervened "Alright you heard him. the traveler comes first."

Bitsine turned to him "Well how are we suppose to find the ritual?"

Kelly's ghost then spoke up "I have an idea for that. If you can find cracks in the surface that go deep enough I can send a pulse to map out the entire hive fortress."

"You mean crack like that." Bitsine said pointing a fracture in the surface with a ominous green glow emanating from it.

Kelly's ghost materialized "Yes that will do. The ghost flew over to the fracture then expanded it body. After emitting a few pulses the ghost turned back to the fire team "I got it. We have to go back to the temple of Crota."

"The temple of Crota? That going to be a long drive." Bitsine stated.

"Don't worry. There's a shortcut to get to Anchor of Light near hear." the ghost responded.

"Good to hear." Pekis said relived. "Send us the way point and lets get going."

The fire team then turn their vehicles around and began their journey back to the temple of Crota. Thanks to the way point Kelly's ghost sent them the trip back to Anchor of light when a lot faster. A few minutes and several run over patrolling fallen dregs later they returned to the abandoned colony. Finding that they entered the colony from the opposite direction as last time the guardians followed the same path they used to reach the temple the first time. After dismounting their vehicles they passed through the small canyon they finally returned to the hive temple.

The guardians made their way down the hill and upon reaching the open entrance Pekis' ghost materialized. The ghost expanded it body as the fire team stop for a moment to examine the area. As Pekis looked inside the temple he heard a voice suddenly speak on his comm. "You're interesting. Not entirely interesting, but you have promise."

Pekis was startled by the surprise call. "Who is that?" he asked as he began looking around to see if they were being watched like last time. His question caught the attention of Kelly and Bitsine.

Pekis' ghost began trying to trace the signal but to no avail. "I don't know. I'm losing the signal."

"What are you talking about?" Bitsine asked confused.

Pekis turned to her surprised "You're not picking this transmission up."

"I'm not getting anything." Kelly stated.

The voice spoke again " Guardian I know what you're about to do. It's brave but there are enemies out here you would not believe."

"Out were?" Pekis responded as his teammates could only watch this event unfold.

"Go down and face the Hive and if you live, come find me. Alone." The voice finished ending the transmission.

The ghost body returned to normal. "Signal dropped. I got some broken coordinates - Venus, Northern Hemisphere. Ishtar region."

Kelly was a bit concerned about the ordeal "What was that about?"

Pekis turned to her "I received a call from someone. She wants me to meet her on Venus alone."

The last part Pekis said worried Kelly more "Venus? Alone!?"

Bitsine also had her concerns about this strange arrangement. "Pekis this smells like a trap."

Pekis understood their concerns but he believed It might be worth the risk. "You might be right but I think I should go anyway."

Kelly's heart beated faster upon hearing his answer. "You can't go alone. We don't know what could be there."

Pekis heard the worry in her voice but resolved to go through with the arrangement. "I know but if their is a chance this stranger can help us I have to do it."

Kelly and Bitsine realized Pekis was determined on doing it. "Okay then. What now?" Bitsine asked then suddenly they all heard a loud roar coming from within the temple turning their attention to it.

After a few silent moments Pekis replied "We go down." Pekis pulled out his For The People auto rifle then began walking inside. Kelly followed him carrying her The Frenzy fusion rifle and bitsine with her The Variable machine gun. The way point that their ghost sent them lead them to the lower levels of the temple. After jumping down to the next floor the continued running through a hallway circling a hive seeder ship.

On their way down the guardians ran into several hive guarding the hall. Bitsine was able to mow down the approaching thrall and acolytes as Kelly and Pekis dealt with the wizard leading them with solar grenades. Continuing forward The fire team entered a large room filled with rocks, hive architecture, and another seeder ship in the middle. The guardians stopped to look at the ship that the hive seemed to be working on as Pekis' ghost spoke up "Another hive seeder. Just like the ones invading earth. I we don't stop the ritual there will be more of this hitting home."

Their focus on the ship was broken when several knights entering the room from their right began firing boomer rounds at them. The guardians scattered as the rounds approached, then began returning fire. The knights immediately took cover behind several large boulders as they returned fire. Pekis flanked around their side as he switched to his The Calling scout rifle and began picking them off with head shots. Once their was only one left the final knight began glowing red and charged Pekis in a blind rage leaving him vulnerable for Kelly and Bitsine to gun him down.

With the knights dead the fire team continued to follow their way point deeper into the fortress. After passing a through a few more hallways the guardians ran down the flight of stairs leading to the worlds grave. Upon entering a hive tomb ship appeared through a tear in reality. "Damn! The hive can do that in here." Bitsine shouted astounded that a hive ship appeared in close quarters.

"Apparently!" Pekis replied as the tomb ship dropped off several hive then retreated. The acolytes and knights took up defensive positions as the the guardians began firing at will. As the fighting continued the sound of gunfire had alerted the hive that were farther into the room causing a mob of thrall to begin charging towards the source. As Pekis was exchanging fire with a hive wizard he heard the screeching sounds of thrall coming closer. He peaked out from behind cover and saw the approaching horde of thrall. "Shit! Bitsine!" He yelled catching Bitsine's attention.

Bitsine had finished off a few acolytes when she heard Pekis shouting. Upon looking at him she saw Pekis pointing towards the large open doorway leading into the next room and the thrall running for their light. "Oh shit!" she said then began running towards the horde. Bitsine jumped on top on a small pillar, then jump again and activated her fists of havoc. She landed right on top on the lead thrall and sent a wave on arc energy forward decimating the rest of the thrall.

After the wizard had been dealt with the fire team continued towards their objective. Entering the next room and passing several pillars sticking out of the ground the guardians made their way up onto a platform Finally reaching the ritual site. As they walked down a flight of stairs leading into the room Kelly's ghost spoke "Here it is. The darkest of all the hive's chambers." the ghost finished as the doors at the bottom of the stairs began to open.

Once they entered the three were greeted by the site of three siphon witches surrounding a large black mass hovering in the middle of the room. The wizards took notice of their intrusion and turned their attention to them. The guardians split up to take one each as the wizards summoned several clouds of black smoke to hide behind. The smoke made the guardians unable to properly see the wizards so to push them out Kelly channeled her light to fire a nova bomb. As the bomb fired the wizards imminently exited to smoke to dodge the blast allowing the guardians deal with them unhindered.

The guardians fired upon the wizards while having to dodge streams of arc blasts from them. Pekis had his situation under control with continuous attack pushing the wizard back. Once its shields were down Pekis formed a solar knife in his hand. Pekis aim the knife at the wizard's chest as he threw it but at the last second the wizard tried to fly upwards to dodge it. Unfortunately it was not fast enough. While Pekis may have missed its chest, the knife did manage to impale its leg. The fire from the knife set fire to the robe the wizard was wearing and in a few seconds the wizard was engulfed in flames. Screeching in pain, The wizard flew around erratically before finally falling to the floor reduced to dust.

While Pekis was victorious Kelly had a problem on her end. Kelly's wizard had proven itself more mobile than its sisters as it continued to fly in circles around her. Kelly was unable to get a go shot on it as it continued to fire it arc blasts at her. Pekis saw the trouble she was, and formed a incendiary grenade in his hand. Pekis threw the grenade causing it to bounce of the platform in the center of the room and into the air. The wizard saw the grenade in the air and stopped before it got to close. Kelly saw her opportunity and fired a volley of void energy balls from her frenzy fusion rifle. Two of the balls hit the wizard causing it to move to dodge the rest but moving into the grenade's blast zone. The grenade exploded, destroy the wizard's shields, and pushing it into a nearby pillar. The impact left the wizard in a daze as Kelly jump into the air to strike it with a energy drain, killing it, and restoring her shields.

Bitsine was starting to get angry with her opponent. The wizard had summoned another cloud of smoke directly on Bitsine's position. She could feel that the smoke was eating threw her shields and armor while being shot. Bitsine tried to see through the darkness but was unable to see the wizard. After a few more moments the cloud started to disperse give Bitsine a few openings to see through. As soon a she saw the wizard she focus her anger and charged. Once she was out of the cloud she jump and tackled the wizard out of the air.

They both fell to the ground with Bitsine on top. With one hand Bitsine grabbed the wizard by the throat and with the other she repeatedly punched it in the face. After a few successful blows the wizard struck her with its claws, knocking her off. The wizard tried to crawl away to take off again but before it could Bitsine managed to grab it by its leg. She made a 180 degree spin and threw it against the wall. The wizard stood up only to receive a shoulder charge to the gut from Bitsine causing it to fall to the ground. Severely weakened the wizard raised its head to look at its destroyer but only managed to see Bitsine's foot before she crushed its head with a curb stomp, killing it.

Bitsine turned around and saw that Kelly and Pekis had watched to whole spectacle. "That was definitely something." Pekis said astounded.

Bitsine chuckled before responding "What can I say. Don't get me mad."

"I'll be sure to remember that." Kelly said glad that they were on the same side. With the area cleared the guardians turned their attention back to the large black mass. All three of their ghosts materialized and began scanning it. The guardians walked around the mass to get a better picture of what they were looking at.

Suddenly one of the large doors leading into the room started to open causing to the guardians to raise their guns once again. As the door began opening a loud roar erupted from behind it. Finally finished opening the door revealed a large ogre following a squad of acolytes ready to destroy anything in its way. Seeing the the threat Pekis holstered his rifle as he activated his blade dancer. With twin arc sword in hand he charge the opposition cutting through all the acolytes almost simultaneously.

As he approached the ogre it raised both its hands and slammed them into the ground to crush Pekis. Unfortunately the ogre was far too slow as Pekis ran underneath it cutting through both its legs. Unable to stand the ogre fell to its knees holding its torso up with it arms. Pekis jump high into the air landing on the ogre's back, impaling both his swords into its head. The ogre roared in pain as Pekis then sent thousands of volts of electricity through its body. After a minute the ogre's brain had been completely fried and its body begun to turn to dust.

Pekis dropped to the floor covered in ogre dust as he deactivated his power. He walk back to his teammates while padding off the dust from his armor. "Damn that was quite the light show." Bitsine said impressed.

"Thanks. Those ogres are all brawn and no brains." he replied coolly.

Suddenly a bright white light started coming from the mass. The guardians all turned back to it as the blackness around it started to disappear revealing the object it was covering. "What is that thing?" Kelly asked as the object started to light up the entire room.

Her ghost responded in awe of what they found. "Its a shard of the Traveler!" this response caused all three guardians to become awestruck.

Pekis ghost then spoke "They were using it connection to the Traveler to drain it of its light but now it's free." As the ghost finished the darkness surrounding the shard had completely vanished reveling the perfectly white shard.

A tear ran down Pekis' face as he whispered to himself "Beautiful." Finally the shard vanish from sight leaving the witnesses in awe.

"Back to the Traveler with you." Bitsine said with a happy tone in her voice.

The guardians turned back to each other to discuss what just happened. "Wow, that was just amazing." Kelly stated proud of their accomplishment.

"Indeed it was." Pekis replied.

"It sickness me to think that the hive were doing that." Bitsine said angry that the hive to using the shard like that.

Pekis agreed with her "Its got to make you wonder where the other shards might be and who might have them."

Kelly and Bitsine gave Pekis' words some serous thought. What if the hive had more shards use or if the fallen had some just to take them apart to see how they could give them power. "So now what?" Bitsine asked.

"I guess now we'll head back to the city to report-" Pekis managed to say before getting cut off by Kelly.

"No! We're not leaving until we get the world's grave database. We're to close to just pass it up." Kelly finished then started walking away. "Ghost send me the way-point."

As Kelly left, Pekis and Bitsine with their ghosts all looked at each other. "She may be a nerd but she can be stubborn." Pekis stated as he began to follow her.

Bitsine followed a few seconds later 'Damn right she can.' she thought.

Five hours later, Night TimeThe Last City, Tower Hanger

After successfully stopping the hive's ritual the fire team set out to find the database of the world's grave. Following several hive ambushes and a few mishaps they had managed to retrieve the database. The guardians soon after returned to their ships and made their way back to the city.

Soon after transmating into the courtyard Kelly rushed to the warlock libraries to upload the World's Grave information into the archives. Bitsine had left to see the cryptarchs to decode some engrams she found out in the field. Pekis had stripped his armor off and spent the last two hours cleaning it with a few cloths.

Pekis was currently sitting down on a large crate and wiping down his armor's chest piece, removing the black liquid that the hive kept inside their fortress. As he worked he failed to notice Bitsine approach him. "Hey there." she said.

"Ahh!" Pekis yelled dropping his armor piece to the floor obliviously startled.

"Oh shit. Sorry. didn't mean to sneak up on you." Bitsine said apologetically.

Pekis set his cloth and looked back at her. "It's okay. I'm good."

Bitsine noticed the pile of dirty cloths that were on the floor. "Wow. Two hours and your still cleaning?" Bitsine asked slightly surprised.

Pekis shrugged "Well when you have double the arms of other hunters there tends to be more work."

Bitsine chuckled a bit "I do think it was kind of funny when you slipped into that black shit."

Pekis was clearly not amused by her comment. "Yeah and I thought it was funny when that boomer shot made the ceiling collapse on top of you."

Bitsine realized that it might have been too soon for her to joke about it. "Sorry." she replied lowering her head.

"Its fine." Pekis stated. "I don't get why the hive have pools of that stuff around or how five foot thrall can climb out of it when it's only ankle deep."

Bitsine turned her attention to the armor pieces Pekis had laying around. "Did I ever tell you how elite your captains armor make you look."

Pekis turned his head to his armor then back to her "No. Thank you." Pekis got off the crate to stretch his legs "The warlock order better be grateful after what we went through."

"Definitely." Bitsine replied in understanding. She stepped back to get a better view of Pekis who was only wearing his skin suit. "Your muscles are quite toned."

Pekis blushed a bit at the comment "Combat and wearing heavy armor will do that to you. Provided you have an organic body."

Bitsine was about to replied when they both noticed Kelly approached. Before she could say anything she stop at the site of unarmored Pekis. 'Damn' she thought 'I wounder what he looks like under his-' Kelly stop her train of thought as she noticed both of them were waiting for her to say something. "I handed over the data to the archivists."

"So what did they have to say?" Bitsine questioned.

Kelly smiled as she responded "Well I pretty sure the three of us are heroes to them now."

"Really?" Pekis said surprised

"Of course. If there's one thing us warlocks love it's knowledge and the World's grave is an absolute treasure trove."

"Well that nice to hear." Bitsine stated. "I was afraid they were gonna be ungrateful."

"Of course not. To prove it wanted us to have these as a reward." as Kelly finished she transmated three reward packages out of her inventory. Pekis and Bitsine each took one then began opening them. Pekis was the first one to open his and inside he pulled out a large bag with several thousand glimmer. Pekis simply stared at the large quantity of currency he was holding until finally speaking "Thank you warlocks!"

Kelly and Bitsine were happy for him as they saw him claim his reward. The turn of events had caused them both to become excited at what theirs could hold. Bitsine was the second to open theirs. The contents reveled themselves to be 30 strange coins. Bitsine was confused as to what they were as she grabbed some of them in her hand. As she gripped them she could feel them vibrate gently.

"What the hell are these?" Bitsine asked a bit angry believing she might have been ripped off.

Kelly noticed her anger at her prize. "Let me see?" she asked holding out her hand. Bitsine responded by giving her one of the coins. Kelly brought the coin up to her face, turning it around in her hand. "I heard of these. They are suppose to be a special form of currency that are only accepted by a specific vendor."

This was the first time Bitsine and Pekis had heard of them. "So what vendor am I suppose take these to?" she asked calming down but still slightly confused.

Kelly handed the coin back to her "I don't know. I heard he only visits the tower every few weeks and stays only for a few days."

After hearing Kelly explanation Bitsine decided to hang onto the coins encase she found said vendor. With the matter resolved the three all turned their attention to Kelly who had the final package. After a few moments she finally opened it. Reaching inside she grabbed what she could feel was a grip. Pulling it out reveled a red, grey, and tan color auto rifle. As Kelly and her friends looked over the weapon she ran her finger along a word on the side of the barrel while reading it out loud "SUROS."

The name Kelly said caused a bell to ring in Bitsine head. "SUROS? Wait I've heard of this gun. Its full name is SUROS Regime."

Bitsine's words made Pekis and Kelly turn their attention to her. "SUROS Regime?" Pekis questioned.

"Yes. It's an extremely rare and powerful form of auto rifle. They are very hard to make and therefor few exist." Bitsine finished her words intriguing her friends.

As the two processed the information a question rose in Pekis' mind. "So are their other weapons like it."

"Their are plenty of other different weapons like it and each of them is has a unique design and properties. But their all so rare that a lot of people consider them to be quote." Bitsine then raised her hands in the air and extended two fingers on each one in order to make air quotes as she finished "Exotic."

As Bitsine finished Kelly looked back at her new gun and a thought occurred to her. "So technically I have an exotic weapon now." Kelly said causing her to receive a nod of agreement from Bitsine. With the rewards claimed the guardians decided to head to the tower barracks to get some sleep after the long day they all had.


	9. Chapter 9

One day later, morning The Last City, Tower Barracks

After several hours of napping Pekis had begun to wake up. His eyes opened to the sight of Kelly still fast asleep on the bed next to his. Pekis began to lift himself up on his elbows and tossed to blanket off of him as he move his feet onto the floor. The commotion he made had caused Kelly to begin to stir in her sleep. Not wanting to wake her up Pekis slowly stood up.

Pekis looked around the two person bedroom and saw his Future War Cult necklace sitting on the small table next to his bed. After putting the necklace around his neck again, he quietly made his way to the door. He took one last look at the human girl who still sound asleep and exited the room. Once outside Pekis' ghost transmated his custom captain armor onto him as he began his walk to the courtyard.

After reaching the courtyard, Pekis once again was leaning against the railing while he looks out toward the city. The sun had risen but the Traveler was blocking it from shining onto the tower. As he examined the traveler he noticed that the a part of the scar on the bottom had been filled in. 'That must be the shard that we freed' he thought smiling.

For the next hour Pekis spent his time thinking about the stranger that had call him. Who was she and why would she be interested in a fallen guardian like himself. Did she know who he really was or could she point him in the right direction. He thoughts began to give Pekis a headache so he shut his eyes to try to ease the pain.

The pain in his head began to lessen after a minute. Pekis' mind began to calm as minutes passed and he began focusing on the accomplishments he made with his friends. As he remembered all he had done since his revival he heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Peekis." the voice spoke causing Pekis eyes to open wide.

Pekis got off the railing and stood straight up as his heart started to pound faster. Slowly he turned around hoping that maybe it was really Kelly who spoke. As Pekis looked behind him he could only see other guardians going about their business in the distance. He looked to both his sides and realized that there was no one talking to him.

Confused by what had happened, Pekis shut his eyes once again and rub his hand down his face as he processed the occurrence. When he opened his eyes again and he was surprised by the robed fallen female that he saw at Dock 13 when he first got his ship. The sudden appearance of the fallen had scared Pekis, causing him to try and step away from her. As he move he nearly fell over the railing but luckily his reflexes kicked in causing all four of his arms to latch on to the railing saving him from falling to his death.

Pekis regain his footing as his ghost materialized next to him. "What's wrong!?" the ghost asked obliviously worried.

Pekis turned to his ghost with a face of shock. He turned his head back to the fallen standing in front of him but only saw that she had disappeared. Pekis rub is eyes as he responded to his ghost "Nothing. just seeing things." After Pekis opened his eyes, he looked back at his ghost and noticed by the way it was looking at him that it did not believe him.

Suddenly Pekis felt some place their hand on his arm causing him to flinch. He turned his head and saw that it was Bitsine who was wearing a concerned look on her face. Pekis made a sigh of relief "Oh Bitsine. It's only you."

"Yeah it's me." Bitsine said worried about what was going on. "Something wrong? I saw you almost take a dive off the tower."

Pekis hesitated to answer "I think I might have been working too hard."

Bitsine figured there might something stressing him out but she didn't believe that work was responsible. Having been apart of the precollapse military, Bitsine had some experience with noticing the signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What stuck Bitsine as odd was that she knew Pekis had not dealt with anything that could have caused it but he couldn't have developed it without something Traumatic in his life. Thinking about what could have happened had her wondering if it might have something to do with his amnesia. "Perhaps you should take another trip to the city to clear your mind."

As Bitsine made her suggestion, Pekis saw Kelly approaching them. It was apparent that she had only recently awoken given the fact that her orange red hair was a bit of a mess. She yawned before speaking "There you are. I woke up a saw you were gone."

"Well I woke up an hour ago and saw you were still sleeping. I didn't want to wake you."

Kelly smile a bit before responding "Well that was thoughtful of you."

Bitsine made a glance a Kelly's hair state "Uh Kelly. your hair."

After hearing Bitsine, Kelly placed her hand on her head and felt the mess it was. After a minute she managed to straighten her hair out. Once Kelly was finished Bitsine then gave her a suggestion "Hey Kelly. I was thinking that maybe you and Pekis should take another trip to the city."

Kelly thought about it for a moment "Sure but what about you?"

"I was going to go out to claim some bounties." Bitsine replied.

Kelly turn back to Pekis "So what do you say?"

"Yes. I think I could use a break." Pekis said glad for a chance to clear his head.

Pekis and Kelly began to leave to prepare for their trip. Before Kelly to get far Bitsine stop her causing Pekis to turn his attention to him. "I need to talk to Kelly about something in private." Bitsine said causing her to receive a nod of understanding from Pekis.

Pekis continued walking away as Kelly was confused by what Bitsine wanted to talk about. "What do you want to talk about?" Kelly asked.

Bitsine was hesitant to responded because she didn't want to worry Kelly. "I think their something wrong with Pekis."

Kelly's heart began to pump faster "What? Why?" she asked with a worried tone.

Bitsine was worry about how Kelly might react but she believed Kelly deserved to know if something was wrong with Pekis. "A few minutes ago before you arrived I saw Pekis looking out towards the city. Then suddenly he turned around like he was expecting to see someone behind him but no one was their. When he turned he calmed down and when he looked again he freaked out and almost fell over the railing."

Kelly placed her hand over her mouth as she process this disturbing news. "What do you think is wrong with him?" Kelly asked hopping Bitsine might have an answer.

"I don't know for sure but I think it could be PTSD." Bitsine told her remembering her military days.

Kelly was shocked by her answer. "How could that be possible?"

"It's possible for it to develop by a very traumatic experience." Bitsine stated.

Kelly was confused "Wait. When could that have happened? He has never been through anything like that before."

Bitsine turned away from her for a moment then turned back to her with a grim exo look on her face. "Nothing that he remember's anyway."

Bitsine's words caused gears to start turning in Kelly's head. "You think his amnesia has something to do with it?"

"I think his subconscious is trying to forget something."

Kelly and Bitsine simply stood silently in each other's presence as they thought about their friend. After some time Kelly began to walk away to meet up with Pekis wanting to be there for him. Bitsine then left for her ship hopping their trip might do Pekis some good.

two hours laterThe last City

After changing into casual clothing, Kelly and Pekis made another sabbatical to the city. This time they choose to visit the outskirts of the city. The area they were in was not as populated and there was more vegetation growing.

After getting off their transport the locals hadn't paid them any mind. Pekis sighed in relief "I'm glad I not a side show attraction anymore."

Kelly laughed remembering the first trip they took. "Well that's good. Bitsine won't always be around for you." Kelly said recalling how Bitsine dispersed the crowd of gawkers. The two guardians then began their tour of the city's outskirts. Pekis enjoyed the relaxing scenery of the nearby forest and the lack of crowds around.

Kelly saw how the change of scenery was having a positive effect of Pekis. She was happy that he didn't seem to be having any trouble with his mental state. Still concerned for him, Kelly held onto his arm as they came to a stop at a local pond. Pekis simply pointed two of his eyes at her after feeling her touch then return his gaze back to the water in front of them.

They spent the next half hour simply watching as the fish in the pond swam around. There was something soothing about watching the aquatic animals swim like as if their was nothing to worry about. Pekis almost envied the fish because they didn't have any big responsibilities. Kelly tried to remember what kind of fish they were looking at. She pointed at one of them "That one is a catfish."

Pekis was surprised by her statement "Catfish?"

Kelly look at him before responding "Yes. Before the collapse me and Paul use to have a few as pets when we were living together."

Pekis remember her talking about Paul when they first met. "You mean your ex-fiance?" He inquired curiously causing Kelly to lower her eyes to the ground. Pekis mentality cursed himself for bring Paul up. "I'm sorry."

"No. It's okay." Kelly said trying to reassure him.

Pekis still felt guilty for poking at the subject. He tried to change the subject to something more pleasant. "So can you name any other fish?"

Kelly face brightened a bit "I did spend some of my time reading about aquatic animals back in the day." Kelly spent several minutes naming the different fish that resided within the pond. The mood between the two guardians recovered as they resumed their walk through the area.

After a while they spotted a trail leading through the forest and decided to walk through. The Trees stretch high into the air and block out the sunlight keeping the two in the shade. They stopped periodically to look at the squirrels, different kinds of birds, and other small animals that had made their home there. Eventually they passed by another pair guardians that were on a break as well. They were quite friendly and were interested in talking to the first ever fallen guardian.

"Hello." the awoken titan of the pair said holding out his hand for a handshake. Pekis responded by returning the gesture and gripping his hand. "My name is Avez Vum." the titan announced. Avez had pale blue skin and short light blue hair. His eyes were a bright green color and his lips were a ghost white color.

After Kelly finished shaking Avez's hand, Her and Pekis turned their attention to the exo hunter behind Avez. The hunter had a bit more of a relaxed demeanor as he simply waved his hand. "Crux-14." the hunter spoke. Crux had grey colored metallic plating with two thick white lines that ran from his forehead to the back of his head. His eyes were red and he had two short knob like antenna sticking out the sides of his head.

"Hello. I'm Kelly Vale." she said placing a hand on her chest. Kelly removed her hand and pointed it to the fallen next to her "This is Pekis."

"Everyone knows who you are." Crux stated. "Those videos you posted have become quite popular."

"Believe me. We noticed." Pekis told him.

Crux chuckled a bit thinking about how much Pekis must stick out in public. "So Pekis do you think you could tell us which fallen house you hail from." Avez ask curiously hopping to get to know them better.

Pekis turned his head away for a moment having been reminded of his predicament. Kelly had turned to Pekis and saw how the question had bothered him. Avez noticed how bothered Pekis had become and believed maybe that was to personal a question to ask a fallen. Pekis finally returned his gaze back to Avez "I don't remember."

Pekis' statement caught Avez and Crux by surprise. 'The plot thickens' Crux thought to himself. "You don't remember you house?" Crux asked intrigued.

Pekis shook his head "I don't remember anything before my Resurrection." This announcement caused Avez and Crux to look at each other in confusion. A guardian that doesn't remember anything about his past was definitely an oddity.

Avez looked back at Pekis "You have total amnesia?" he asked.

Pekis simply nodded his head at the question. "It has been bothering me for some time but I been managing." Pekis stated.

The next minute was met with a uncomfortable silence. Wanting to move passed it Kelly spoke "So who is the warlock of your team?"

Glad for the change of subject Avez responded "Her name is Ellie Frost. She is currently working in the warlock libraries."

Pekis smiled at Kelly recalling how she likes to spend time in the libraries. "She and Kelly have something in common it seems. Kelly can't seem to get her head out of the books." Pekis said causing him to receive a punch to his arm from Kelly.

The mood between the four had improve greatly. Crux and Avez laughed from seeing the exchange of hands. "So who is your titan?" Avez asked.

"Her name is Bitsine-2." Kelly answered. "She is currently working on some bounties in the cosmodrome."

"Oh really?" Crux said pretending to be surprised. "She's not at the tower worried about to safety of the city's walls." he finished chuckling about the implied titan stereotype. Crux's friendly joke was meet with a stare from Avez that pretty much said "Really?"

Moving on the guardians found a few benches along the trail to sit down as they spent the next hour talking about themselves and their past missions. The four had really hit it off despite some awkward moments. "So your the ones that activated the array?" Pekis said completely surprised. He had never expected to be having a conversation with the guardians that connect earth with the colonies.

"Yup." Crux stated proudly. "Were also the ones who destroyed Crota's sword and the shrine to Oryx." Crux then pointed his head at Pekis with a look asking if he could top that.

Pekis smiled as he decided to take up the challenge. "Well we've killed the rising devil archon Riksis, ruined a joint devils-kings attempt at hacking Rasputin, and Killed Sepiks Prime stopping a house of devils invasion of the city in the process."

Hearing of their past victory against Sepiks had reminded Avez of something. "That reminds me, we saw that video of you fighting Sepiks."

"You did?" Kelly asked not so surprised.

"Yes we did." Crux replied with a hint of jealousy in his voice. "I don't get why you get dual swords, super speed, and super blink when you use your arc blade. The rest of use only get a single arc knife."

Pekis thought about it more a few moments. "Maybe because I'm an Eliksni or maybe the Traveler likes me more." Pekis said causing a uncomfortable silence.

Wanting to prevent further tensions Avez spoke up "Whichever the case lets be glad were on the same side." Avez finished turning his head towards Crux.

Crux knew Avez was talking to him. Crux decided to move past it as he asked Pekis to activate his blade dance. Pekis held out one of his hands where an arc sword formed. The guardians saw how the electricity sword design was similar to a fallen shock sword.

Crux activated his blade dance and brought his arc knife up to Pekis' sword for comparison. The knife's length was only two thirds the length of the sword. Upon closer inspection Kelly noticed that Crux's blade looked similar to a machete than a knife.

With the two blades so close to each other, the electricity they were made off started bridge between each other. The two hunter began moving their blades to different positions as the event continued making it seem like the energy was dancing. This turn of events caught the guardians by surprise as the two blades fed each other putting on a impressive light show. After a minute Pekis and Crux ran out of power causing the blades to disappear.

The guardians were left stunned by the event. "Wow. That was amazing." Kelly Breathed. Following the show of light the two pairs of guardians parted ways hopping they might be able to work together in the field someday. Kelly and Pekis exited the forest and took a transport back to the tower.

On route to the tower Kelly decided to talk to Pekis about something concerning her. "Pekis?" she said getting Pekis' attention. "Have you been feeling okay lately."

Pekis seriously thought about her question. What was he suppose to tell her? Should he tell her the truth which would worry her or lie? He turned his head to her again looking deeply into her dark blue eyes. Pekis could see that see wanted to hear an honest answer. "I don't know." Pekis answered hesitantly

Pekis' answer really confused Kelly. How could he not know if he was okay? His response had Kelly troubled as she was afraid that perhaps Bitsine's suspicions could be true. "What do you mean?" Kelly asked wanting to understand his situation.

"Most of the time I don't have any problems but other times I start to see things." Pekis said grimly as he interlocked his fingers on both sets of hands.

Kelly feared that the worst could turn out to be true. She placed a hand on Pekis' shoulder "Like what?"

Pekis turned away thinking about some the things he had hallucinated. He remembered that fallen women he saw at dock 13 and again in the tower. Every time he thought about that girl he couldn't help but feel incredible amounts of guilt. Why was he feeling guilty? How could he have known that girl and why was she haunting him for?

Pekis took a deep breath and returned his attention back to the warlock sitting next to him. "There's this girl." Pekis said catching Kelly's full attention. "She's a fallen like me. She wears gold color robes. I first saw her when I found my our ship." Kelly listened intently as Pekis continued. "When I saw her she just stared back at me with a heartbroken look. I remember her eyes had a sorrow feeling in them. While my ghost was working on the ship I tried to walk up to her but before I got close she burst into flames."

Kelly's concern for him reached new heights after listening to him. "Do you know who she is?" she asked griping him tighter.

Pekis could feel Kelly's hand tighten on his shoulder. He could feel that she was afraid for him. "Yes and no. I don't remember ever meeting her but I can't help but feel like we have some form of connection." Kelly's heart skipped a beat once he finished his sentence. What kind of relationship did they have? 'Were they- were they lovers!?' Kelly thought not wanting it to be true.

"And its not just her." Pekis stated breaking Kelly's train of thought. Kelly could see a tear fall from one of his eyes causing her emotions to build up in her throat. "Sometimes when I asleep I keep have vivid nightmares."

"What kind of nightmares?" Kelly asked trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"In some I can hear shouting, begging... gunshots. But in all of them There is one feeling that is centered around them all."

"What feeling?"

Pekis was hesitant to answer "Betrayal."


	10. Chapter 10

The Next day, MorningThe Last City, Tower Hanger

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? It could still be a trap." Bitsine asked worriedly.

Pekis looked back at her, and saw the expression on her face. He understood her concern "Yes, I have to." After returning to the tower, Pekis knew it was a matter of time before he had to deal with the a serious matter. With the Traveler's shard successfully freed, it meant that it was time to fined the stranger that had spoke to him on the moon. He knew to find her, He would need to travel to the Ishtar Sink on Venus by himself. Needless to say his teammates did not like the idea when a brought the subject back up.

Kelly did her best to maintain her composer. "Please let us come with you. We can wait in orbit while you go to the surface. If something goes wrong, we can be there in minutes."

Pekis let her words sink in. He thought perhaps that was something that they could do. Thinking of the idea, Pekis remembered the condition the stranger had made. "No, Whoever contacted me wanted to meet one on one. I can't risk breaking the conditions for the meeting."

"How do you know you can trust whoever it is?" Bitsine asked.

"I don't," Pekis replied grimy. "But I have to take the chance that perhaps she might know something that can help us in our fight." Pekis stated, but secretly he had a more personal reason for wanting to go.

Kelly could feel that he had an ulterior motive. She wanted to help him, but came to the conclusion that Pekis had a need to do this on his own. "Pekis, just remember that were here for you."

Pekis nodded his head at her as Bitsine walked up to him. She held out her hand as if wanting to do a handshake. Pekis responded by holding out his hand, and prepared to grab Bitsine's. To his surprise, Bitsine had instead griped his forearm. Pekis grip her's in response and lock eyes with the exo titan.

Bitsine had come to have the utmost respect, and trust for Pekis. Pekis returned the stern gaze with his own, and knew what she was trying to tell him "I believe in you."

The two guardians released each other, but before Pekis could walk away Bitsine spoke. "Take my ship. Its a one seater and if you need back up, Kelly and I can ride together in your ship."

"Good idea." Kelly replied thankful, because she had not thought of that herself.

Pekis smiled before responding "Thank you." The hunter then began walking away towards Bitsine's ship. He open his hand where his ghost materialized "Ghost, do your thing."

"You got it guardian." The ghost responded and transmated Pekis into Bitsine's ship. The hunter began the take off sequence as his friends watched the ship slowly rise of the hanger floor. Pekis took once last look at his friends before taking off into the sky. As they watched their hunter counterpart take off, Kelly made a silent prayer to the Traveler, hoping that Pekis will find the answers he is looking for.

_Half an hour laterOn route to Venus

As the hunter began his journey to Venus, The ship carrying him began flying through what seemed like a tunnel made of blue light. The jump to venus was suppose to take some time, leaving Pekis to sit inside the ship while his ghost managed driving. As time past, the sight of blue energy passing the ship eventually caused Pekis to become drowsy.

Noticing the hunter's state, Pekis' ghost spoke to him "Why don't you catch a few Z's. I'll wake you when we arrive."

"Sure, Thank you." Pekis replied as he shut his eyes. In a few minutes Pekis was out, the only sound coming from him was his quiet snoring.

As the he trip continued, Pekis began having dreams play through his mind. Pekis had always wondered what the city would be like if his people weren't the murderous pirates they are now. As he sleep, Pekis dreamt of waking up in a large bed. He looked around seeing the wooden architecture of the cabin he was in.

Pekis began stretching his arms out, and felt someone else laying next to him. turning his head he saw a familiar figure on her stomach as she began to open her eyes. Kelly's eyes lit up once seeing her fallen husband. Her blue eyes locked with his as she wrap her hand around his neck to bring his head closer, and placed a gentle kiss on his mandibles.

The married couple stayed there for a few minutes, simply enjoying the time they spent together. They then slowly crawled out of bed revealing the nightwear they were both wearing. Pekis made his way over to his drawer, taking off his cloths to replace them with something for walking in the city. He looked into the mirror above his drawer, and saw Kelly's refection as she began removing her cloths as well, causing him to smile slyly.

After changing, the two guardians made their way out of their home they had made in the forest part of the city. They walked the dirt road through the foliage until they reached the beginning of the stone road of the city. As the ventured deeper into the city, Pekis looked around to look at something that made him proud to be alive.

Looking around Pekis saw other eliksni walking among the crowds of humans, awoken, and exos. His people were apart of the city, and its defense against the darkness. Eliksni were working along side other races, had their own stores, and companies. Looking up there were skiffs of different houses flying overhead, delivering equipment to different parts of the city.

Eventually they found their way to a public park, and sat down at a nearby bench. Pekis wrapped his upper arm around Kelly's shoulders, and interlock the three fingers on his lower arm with Kelly's five. As they sat children human, awoken, and eliksni alike were playing together. Running around on the playground as sounds of laughter rang through the air.

Kelly laid her head on Pekis' shoulder, causing Pekis to responded by turning his head to place his chin on top of her head. At that moment, the two guardians felt that all was at peace with the world. Suddenly a large explosion in the distance. Pekis and Kelly broke apart to stand up to see was had just happened.

Pekis toward the direction of the sound, and saw the source. A massive fireball erupted at the tower, destroying it. The city's inhabitants scrambled, the children's parents picking them up as they ran. Then several more explosions could be seen happening all over the city. The two guardians transmated their armor and weapons out of their inventory, ready to fight whatever was attacking.

Out of the corner of his eye, Pekis saw a captain wearing house of kings armor approaching them. I was clear that they were all on the same side as what appeared to be skiffs appeared from the sky firing energy blasts at the trio. The three dodged the blasts then returned their sights to the income hostile ships. As the skiffs drew closer the trio saw that they were not normal ships. The skiffs appeared to be made entirely of dark shadows, confusing the defenders as they hovered above the ground and dropped their passengers.

The enemies that fell to the ground were also made of shadows and took the shape of eliksni soldiers. The shadow eliksni immediately began firing their weapons as some kind of darkness blanketed the sky blocking out the sunlight completely. The guardians followed by the captain returned fire, gunning down many of the hostiles in the process.

As they finished of the last shadow, even more shadow skiff appeared dropping of reinforcements. The three warriors continued their fight against the onslaught of shadows that were appearing in greater numbers as the cycle of being wiped out and reinforced continued. Eventually, one by one the three defenders began running out of ammo as the horde drew closer to them. Soon they were forced to rely on hand to hand fighting skills and their light. Unfortunately, Pekis was pinned down by a mob of shadow as the captain and Kelly continued to fight against overwhelming odds.

As the fighting continued Pekis was helpless to do anything other that watch as the events happening played out. Suddenly, the horde of fallen shadow beings began stepping aside creating a path through them. At the end of the opening a large being stepped out of the darkness. A Large fallen towering over his underlings slowly made his way to the center of the battle.

The lesser shadows stopped their attack to turn, and kneel to their master. The captain and Kelly noticing the shadow leader approaching them, focused their attention to him. As the shadow walked closer, Kelly focus her light creating a ball of void energy in her hand. She pushed her arm out sending the nova bomb flying towards the shadow kell. Unmoved by the attack, the kell raised his hand, and slapped the bomb sending it into the crowd of his underlings.

Shock took gripe of Kelly after seeing her light swatted away like an insect. Shaking off her shock, Kelly prepared her grenades, but before she could throw, the kell raised his hand once again. With a snap of his fingers, Kelly was engulfed in flames of darkness. Pekis could only howl in pain as he saw the women he loved fall to the ground dead.

After seeing his wife die, an intense rage burn within Pekis. The shadows holding him down were soon electrocuted by Pekis as he activated his arc swords. With his holders dead, Pekis charge the kell in a blind rage. Pekis jump into the air, flying towards the kell with the intent to impale him as tears slowly fell down his face. Just as he was about to reach his target, the kell extended his arm out, sending some form of telekinetic blasts, pushing Pekis backwards.

Pekis hit the ground on his back in a daze. Suddenly, he felt his entire body stiffen, and could not command his body to do what he want. He manage to turn his gaze back to his enemy, seeing him move his hand around, and Pekis realized that he was controlling him. With a low dark laughter, the kell commanded Pekis to pull out his shock pistol, and point it at the captain, who simply stood there unsure what he could possibly do.

The kell then pretended to be holding a pistol in his hand with his finger on the trigger. Pekis try to resist his control, but was powerless to stop it. Smiling behind his mask, the kell then pulled his trigger finger, causing Pekis to do the same with his pistol, and shot the captain in the head. With the captain dead, the kell turned his attention to Pekis and began walking towards him.

Pekis was too traumatized by what he had just done to notice the large figure stand a foot away from him. The kell bent down, grabbing Pekis by his throat, and held him up in the air. Pekis tried to free himself, punching the kell's hand to no avail as a dark sword formed in his other hand. Pekis then felt something pierce his chest, and exit out his back. Feeling the sword within him, Pekis felt his light slowly fade away, and his body began feeling cold. Before dying, Pekis stared into the four black eyes of the kell, seeing the joy he was feeling from his victory. Finally, his eyes turn black, and his body went limp.

_ Orbit above Venus

thirty minutes after Pekis had fallen asleep, the ship finally reached it's destination. In a bright flash of light the ship exited the jump space, and came to a stop over the green world of Venus. "Alright we made it." Pekis' ghost declared. Not hearing a response, the ghost remembered that his guardian was still asleep. Materializing, the ghost looked at Pekis trying to wake him up. "Guardian...Guardian...PEKIS!" The ghost yelled.

"Ahh." Pekis yelled waking up from his nightmare, and bumping his head into his ghost. "Ow." Pekis said rubbing his head. He look up, seeing that the impact had put his ghost in a daze. "Sorry."

The ghost shook off his stupor "I'm fine."

Pekis took a sigh of relief "Thank you for waking me up."

"Bad Dream?"

"Good dream turned bad." Pekis stated. Pekis look outside the cockpit window, seeing the green orb they were floating above. "So this is Venus?"

"Yup." The ghost said turning to the view. "The message our contact sent came from somewhere down there."

"Do you have the coordinates for the Ishtar Sink?" Pekis asked taking control of the ship.

"Of course."

"Then lets go." Pekis then piloted the ship downward following their coordinates. As their descent began a thought was eating away at Pekis 'Who is that captain?'

Unknown to the duo, there was something hiding in the void. A sizable fallen ship built to monitor everything that was occurring on the planet, and in orbit. Inside a few dozen fallen pirates wearing golden kings styled armor were sitting at their stations. Vandals and dregs scanning for any orbital traffic, communications from spies in the house of winter, and ground movement. At the center a Baron oversaw the operations of the ship.

While looking at her computer, a fallen vandal had finish scanning a new ship that entered orbit. The scan had obtained information on the ship, and its pilot. Looking through the data, the vandals eyes widened when she realized who the pilot was. turning her chair around she up to the Baron "Baron, I have an update."

The baron looked away from the collected data his ship had collected, and stood up to get a better look at the vandal addressing him. "This had better be important." The baron said rather annoyed.

"It is. I found the traitor we were warned about."

The baron was intrigued by her words "Show me." The vandal pressed some buttons on her computer, and a holographic projection of Pekis appeared in the center of the ship. The Baron looked at the image in front of him thoroughly before giving an order. "Send word to lord Peldaks imminently. We found him." he declared.

_Ishtar Sink, Venus

As Pekis piloted the ship into the planets atmosphere, they broke through the gray clouds produced by volcanic fissures. Afterwards they were greeted by the sight of the ruined golden age colony. Buildings that had once been great were reduced to crumbling relics as vegetation grew over them.

"This colony was built by the Ishtar Collective." the ghost began. "Records say they once studied ruins older than humanity itself."

As the flew over a large body of orange colored water, Pekis looked out the window to see the abandoned colony. Seeing the ruined state it was in made him feel a bit of grief for it. "It's a shame what happened to this place."

"Yes it is, but one day we'll reclaim this." the ghost said with hope in his voice.

"Or die trying." Pekis stated turning his head forward again. Passing the colony, Pekis could see a large spire in the distance. "What the hell is that?"

"That's a vex construct called the citadel."

Hearing that name reminded Pekis of the machine inhabiting Venus. The time traveling machine race that was invading the system. "The house of winter is on this planet too right?"

"Yup, They've been tearing the colony apart for anything useful."

"So I take it they will also be trying to kill me?"

"Most likely. I doubt they would take kindly to other members of their race that help the city."

Pekis responded with a simple grunt as he positioned the ship to hover over a small canyon. In a few moments the hunter had been transmated on the ground in the Headlands. Pekis looked around to get his bearings. He noticed it was raining as he saw water hit the ground from above. The ground around him was littered with moss covered rocks, abandon scouting equipment, broken moss covered trees, and greenish blue color ponds.

Overall Pekis like the scenery around him. The vegetation reminded him of the forest area back in the city, but he new it was not safe out here. Focusing back on his mission, Pekis held out his hand where his ghost appeared. "So where do we head?"

"Before we look for our contact, I suggest we get the lay of the land first. We don't know what's out here."

Pekis understood his reasoning "So how do we do that?"

Pekis' ghost floated silently for a few moments while he check his database. The ghost made some electronic sound before responding "I have records of a Guardian outpost nearby."

'Their probably the ones who left this equipment behind' Pekis thought. "Got the coordinates?"

"Sending them to you now."

With the way point set, Pekis mounted his pike as made his way to the Shattered Coast. Quickly making his way out of the canyon, Pekis saw an opening to the colony. heading inside he pass by the rusting cars, and deserted buildings that were being covered up by the wild vegetation. Soon the hunter reached the outpost witch was basically a small ruin at the end of a cliff overlooking the vast body of water he flew over.

Seeing this was were the way point ended confused Pekis. "This is the outpost? Its a bit out in the open." Pekis said getting off his pike and walking over.

The ghost knew what he meant. "I was probably just a temporary position."

walking behind the ruin, the guardian spotted a console sitting against a wall. After getting closer Pekis' ghost appeared, and began scanning the computer. "They collected a lot of Intel on the Vex. Also there's a sensors grid they used to track them, and it's still online."

"Now that's gonna be useful." The hunter said glad for the bonus.

The ghost turned his eye back to his guardian "Indeed, the sensors will help us track the Vex. Now we can head to the meeting place, and find out what the stranger wants. The coordinates lead to the Ishtar Academy a short way from here."

"Lets go then." the ghost vanished, and Pekis decided to proceed on foot.  
In no time flat Pekis made his way to the academy's entrance. After running up the stairs in front of the building, the hunter found that the floor had collapsed, leading to the basement which was now partially flooded with plants growing inside. Walking through the thigh deep water, and passing the crumbling support columns, the guardian found the exit on the other side.

Upon reaching the inside of the academy, Pekis' eyes widen. "What's that?" he asked with awe. A tall column made of Bright lines of white light pointed out of the floor and reached the ceiling.

"Let me get a closer look." The ghost replied.

Pekis slowly approached the pillar, looking around he there was multiply floor with hundreds of books on shelves, and realized that he must have been in the library section of the academy. Standing a few feet away, Pekis had his ghost scan the pillar. "Fascinating. A conflux of non-baryonic streams going... where?"

The scientific terms were lost on Pekis as he waited. Pekis simply looked at the conflux, admiring the beauty of the construct, when something strange began to happen. Beyond the construct a flash of blue light appeared, followed by some form of fog. "No, no, no, NO!" the ghost said frantically.

Hearing his ghost, Pekis readied his For The People auto rifle. "What is it!?"

"It's the Vex!" On cue, rows of robots appeared out of the fog landing on the ground. Their large red optics focused on the hunter a short distance away as they began their mechanical march. Pekis took cover behind a support pillar as the Vex fire red energy from their slap rifles. Pekis returned fire reducing a few of the incoming goblins to scrape. The Vex began to scatter in an attempt to surround the guardian forcing him to run out into the open.

His shields began taking damage while he tried to take evasive action. Pekis continued to shoot, causing some of them to explode in a glory of white liquid after hitting their glowing white chests. "What is that stuff!?"

"Vex brain fluid! that's what's controlling the mechanic bodies!" With this new information, the hunter adjusted his aim hitting more of the fluid containers. Taking advantage of their weakness, the remaining vex fell giving Pekis a moment of peace. The peace did not last however, once again a flash of blue light appeared followed by more Vex Goblins.

Pekis reloaded his rifle "Great, more of them." Pekis formed a incendiary grenade, and threw it at the ground just as the Vex dropped down from the fog. The explosion caused a few goblins to fly into the wall dead. Pekis advanced on the machine's position as they return fire. Behind the Vex, a third light appeared in the far back of the room. "Fuck!" he said pissed.

This time something else came out of the fog. A trio of large Vex Minotaurs aided by half a dozen Hobgoblins emerged. Just as Pekis finished the last of Goblins, the Minotaurs began their charge while the Hobgoblins fired their line rifles from a distance. As the Minotaurs closed in they fired purple balls from their torch hammers. Pekis jump back to avoid getting hit as the impacts created several small explosion of energy. "FUCKING GRENADE LAUNCHERS!"

Pekis outburst drew the attention of the Hobgoblins. Several particle jets nailed Pekis, destroying his shields, leaving him vulnerable. staggered from the shots, the hunter could not respond fast enough when one of the Minotaurs got close. The Minotaurs brought one of its arms around, striking Pekis in the side, knocking his rifle out of his hand, and sent him flying into the wall. Pekis could fell that the hit had broken some of his ribs by the pain in his chest.

Overcoming the pain, Pekis managed to get back on his feet only to be greeted by an approaching Minotaur. With his rifle gone, the guardian unholstered his shock pistol, and fired its arc bullets. The bullets were blocked by a purple field around the Vex. "Shit. It has shields!" Pekis yelled with the Minotaur right in front of him. It raised its hand preparing to deliver a finishing blow, but before it could the hunter notice the gap between its legs. With no time to waste, Pekis leaped between the legs, on the way he aimed his pistol's barrel against the Minotaur's crotch, and fired. The short distance allowed the bullets to bypass the shield, and hit the metal, damaging the legs' connection to the body.

With its appendages damaged the Minotaur stumbled back, and fell onto the floor. "How does that feel bitch!" Pekis yelled happily. The remaining two Minotaurs both approached Pekis on either side. The first raised its foot to stomp while the other did the same. Seeing the threat, Pekis jump out of the way, and hid behind one of the old desks. Not seeing where he went, the Vex began spreading out to find him.

Behind the desk, Pekis was breathing heavily from the pain in his chest. In his helmet his ghost spoke to him "Don't worry. I can fix your broken ribs. Just focus on fighting." In a few moments the pain in his chest started to fade as the ghost began repairing the damage.

Pekis rubbed his torso "That feels better." The hunter then peaked over the desk, and that the Minotaur he shot what still alive. The damaged Minotaur flipped itself onto its chest, and joined in the search. "I've had enough." he growled. An arc grenade formed in his hand as he leaped over the desk. After throwing the grenade at the crippled Vex, Pekis activated his golden gun catching the rest of the Vex's attention. The bomb detonated, destroying the Minotaur. Pekis fired two of his shots into one Minotaur, killing it, and one into the other disabling its shields. Pekis finished the last one off his several arc bullets to the fluid case in its chest causing it to exploded.

Pekis sighed at the sight of the dead minotaurs, but was interrupted by a particle jet flying past his head. The hunter took cover, and switch to his wire rifle. One by one the hobgoblins were picked off with chest shots until the guardian was the last one standing. After picking is For The People back up, Pekis' ghost materialized "Are there any still intact that I can analyze?"

"I almost hope not." Pekis stated exhausted.

Walking passed a large statue of a winged figure with a two pronged object in its hand, The duo came across a intact Goblin. The ghost began scanning while the hunter knelled down to get a better look at the brown colored metallic creature. It seemed like it was going to be peace and quite until a electronic sounding female voice broke the silence. "Well fought."

The two turned to see a hooded figure standing on top of the stairs. "You're here." Pekis said standing up.

The exo stranger began walking down the stairs "We haven't got much time."

Pekis transmated his helmet off his head as the stranger walked passed the duo. "Who are you?" he asked with suspicion in his voice.

"Why have you been watching us?" the ghost asked equally suspicious.

"I don't even have time to explain why I don't have time to explain." She said stopping a few feet away. "I will. I will. I know."

"Will what?" the ghost asked confused.

The stranger turned to the ghost "I wasn't talking to you, little light."

The ghost was a bit offended "I'm a ghost, actually."

The stranger slowly approached the hunter "Many Guardians fell. Strong ones. But you made it here." She turned her head away "Yes. I'm listening. They are here. With me."

'Is she crazy?' Pekis thought.

His ghost floated next to her "Who's she talking to?"

The stranger saw the ghost, and gently pushed it away. "You need my help, Guardian."

"Is that why you brought us here?" Pekis asked.

The stranger turned her head towards a still partially functioning Goblin. They brought us here. The Vex." She began walking towards it "Evil so dark it despises other evil."

"You're not a Guardian." the ghost stated.

The stranger looked back at him "No. I was not forged in light." She then place her foot on top of the Goblin's fluid case "But I believe where our paths cross, ground...could break" she finished crushing the case. The strangers turned back to them "Have you heard of The Black Garden?"

The mention of the garden caused a familiar pain in Pekis' head to come back. He shut his eyes and placed his hand on his head. "We've heard the legends." the ghost replied.

Pekis slowly reopened his eyes. One the floor he saw the fallen captain from both his dreams lying on the ground dead with a bullet hole in his head. The stranger saw Pekis staring a something on the ground, and it was clear to her that he was seeing something that wasn't there. "Your mind." she said catching the hunter's attention. "While the light burns strongly within you, there is a small sliver of darkness clouding your mind."

"What?" Pekis said both he and his ghost confused and surprised.

"Find the Garden, rip out its heart. Only then will your Traveler begin to heal, and the darkness within you will dissipate. Your past with return to you, but I cannot promise you will like what you find."

Her answers were more than Pekis could have asked for. Now knowing that their was a way to restore him, Pekis had a new determination burning within him. "Can you help us find it." he asked hopping she could.

"My path is my own. I can't." she replied reluctantly.

Pekis cursed in his mind after hearing her answer. His ghost turned to him "If we're going to find the Black Garden, we need to see the Awoken."

"Ah, yes. The Awoken. Out there, wavering between the light and the dark. A side should always be taken, little light. Even if it's the wrong side." Pekis was relieved to hear his ghost's idea. There really was a chance for him to finally find the answers to the visions and nightmares that plagued him. The stranger looked away "Too late, returning. How many?" She drew her rifle "Hold position, kill the engines, and don't let them find you." she said on her comm then simply vanished in white light.

Pekis finally had a way of uncovering the truth about his past, but the only people who could help him were the Awoken. "So how do we find the Awoken?"

"They live all the way out at the edge of the darkness. Last place the light touches. Can't we just stay here with the murderous robots?"

Chuckling, Pekis replied "No...little light."

"Don't do that." the ghost said annoyed.

"Alright, lets head back out side and get back-" Suddenly explosions coming from the roof sounded throughout the room. The academy shook from the shock waves, and debris fell from the ceiling. Caught of guard, Pekis look up to the source only to see a large rock land on his head. The hunter fell on his knees in a daze as the explosions continued.


	11. Chapter 11

The Last City, Tower

A few hours went by since Pekis left for Venus. While he was gone Kelly, and Bitsine spent their time doing various things around the tower. Kelly brought some engrams she collect to master Rahool for decoding while Bitsine was talking to Banshee-44. "Sorry, I don't make exotics."

Bitsine slammed her hand on the table "Are you kidding me! Your the tower fucking gunsmith!"

Banshee took a step back from the steaming titan "Hey, calm down. Don't get mad at me. I'm just a small operation, and exotic blueprints are too expensive for me to afforded. Not to mention that making exotics themselves take up a lot of resources I can't spare."

Bitsine tilted her head down, and took her hand off the table. "Sorry about that. I lost my temper." looking back up she saw Banshee's posture relax. "Do you know if the Future War Cult deals in exotics?"

"They do, but they only give them to guardians aligned with them on special occasions." Banshee answered seeing the disappointed look on his fellow exo's face. "Their is another guy you can talk to."

Bitsine mood lightened up "Really? Who?"

"First tell me, do you have any of these?" Banshee pulled out a strange coin from his pocket.

Bitsine eyes focused on the coin. She remembered the pack of strange coins she got a few days ago. "Yeah. I got thirty of them a while back."

Banshee chuckled "Lucky you." He placed the coin back in his pocket "Their is a guy named Xur who comes by the tower every few weeks."

"I've heard of him. Do you know where he is?" Bitsine asked hopefully.

"Yeah, he arrived a yesterday. Xur always has exotics for sale when he comes by. You can find him in Tower North, next to where the speaker stays."

"Thank You!" Bitsine said happily then took her leave.

Just as she approached the hallway to Tower North, Kelly followed behind her. "Heh, I heard your outburst with Banshee. Something wrong?"

"It's nothing. I went to Banshee to buy an exotic, but he didn't have any. So now I'm heading for that vendor you told me about two days ago." The happy tone in her voice was apparent.

"He's actually here now?" Kelly said surprised.

The two guardians reached the other end of the hallway "Yup, Banshee said he was next to where the Speaker stays." Bitsine stopped to look around the area. She turned to the left only to see the New Monarchy representative standing by several other members while surrounded by New monarchy banners. Bitsine continued walking while Kelly followed her until after passing the bridge to the Speaker's quarters they saw someone strange standing by the railing in the shadows.

As they got closer, they got a better look at the dark figure. He was covered in grey, and black robes with a hood over his head. His face was pinch black except for the two bright yellow eyes, and small shadow like tendrils pointing outward. Noticing the arrivals, Xur faced them "Guardians."

The low dark sounding voice unnerved the two guardians. "Who are you?" Kelly asked keeping her distance.

"I am an agent of the Nine." Xur replied plainly.

Kelly had heard rumors of the Nine from other warlocks, and that they were said to rule the Jovians. Bitsine took a step forward "You are one of the Nine?"

"I am only an agent, the Nine rule beyond the Jovians."

Xur's response intrigued Kelly "Why are you here?"

"My function here is to trade...I know this."

Hearing his answer reminded Bitsine of why she was here. She transmated the container of strange coins out of her inventory, and pulled one out. "I heard you are the one that accepts these."

Xur looked at the coin in her hand "The Nine accept these offerings, so must I." Xur then held out his hand where a small device emitted a display of what he had for sale. The display showed he was selling: Thunderlord, Thagomizers, Voidfang Vestments, and Lucky Raspberry.

"Damn. Banshee wasn't kidding." Bitsine said as she looked over her options. "I'll take the Thunderlord, and Thagomizers."

"The trade required thirty." Xur stated. Luckily for Bitsine she had the exact amount on hand. Xur pulled out the engrams from his backpack after receiving the offer.

Taking them, Bitsine transmated the gauntlets onto her arms and gripped the Thunderlord. She moved her arms around getting a good look, and feel of her new gauntlets. Afterwards she looked over her new machine gun, taking note of the black, and blue paint with the cable running electricity along its side. "Now this is fantastic." Bitsine declared still looking at her new gear.

Kelly felt happy for her friend, but couldn't help but feel a ping of jealousy at her fortune. She turned back to Xur remembering the warlock armor he had in store. "I...cannot endure this place long." Xur said announced.

"Uh Xur," Kelly said "Do you accept other forms of currency?" she asked since she did not have coins of her own.

"A trade? Perhaps for...shards of power." Xur answered, turning Bitsine's attention to the conversation.

Bitsine didn't understand what he was talking about. "What shards is he talking about?"

"I'm not sure." Kelly pondered what shards he meant for a minute. She remembered an item she got from one of her engrams earlier. Kelly held out her hand where a large yellow green glowing crystal shard materialized, and illuminated the shaded area. "I this what you mean?"

Xur looked at her hand "The Nine will allow me to accept this."

Bitsine simply stared at the crystal. "Kelly? Where and how did you get that thing?"

"I got it from one of the engrams Master Rahool decrypted for me. He told me that these were the main ingredient to make exotic weapons."

"Shit, no wonder Banshee doesn't make exotics. Those must be too rare for him to collect."

"I take the Voidfang Vestments armor please." Xur took the crystal from her hand, and gave her the engram. Kelly transmated her old chest piece off, and put on her new armor. The robes fit comfortably on her body as she turned side to side with her grey, and yellow robes waving through the air around her legs.

"I think it suits you." Bitsine told her examining the chest piece.

"Thank you Xur." Kelly said.

"An end will come...we will be there." Xur's cryptic statement confused the two guardians as they took their leave.

Walking away, the two guardians felt a sense of elation. "Well this was definitely a good day." Bitsine said.

"Agreed." Kelly replied. After returning to the courtyard Kelly had remembered the missing member of their team. "I sure hope Pekis' meeting is going okay."

Bitsine understood her worries "Yeah, me too." A smirk began to form on her mechanical face. "But by now I'm sure he's stand on top on a pile of dead assholes."

Kelly laugh at the idea when simultaneously both their ghost appeared. "We're receiving an emergency transmission for Pekis' ghost." Kelly's ghost alerted them.

The delight the two guardians were experiencing vanished. "What!?" Kelly said with fear.

"What does it say!?" Bitsine asked in a serious tone.

Her ghost replied "It's a recorded message he sent out a few minutes ago"

Bitsine ghost played the message "Mayday, This is hunter Pekis! I am currently be chased by a army of fallen dicks! Need immediate assistance from any guardians in the area or at the tower. WHOA, FUCK OFF YOU ASSHOLES!" Pekis could be heard firing gunshots before the message ended.

"FUCK, I knew it was a trap!" Bitsine yelled pissed she didn't listen to her gut.

"We have to get to him before the fallen do!" The guardians immediately made a b-line for the hanger. On the way they hoped he could last until then.

Thirty minutes earlier, NoonVenus, Ishtar Academy

Pekis slowly got back up on his feet, the stupor from the blow to his head wearing off as his ghost healed him. Debris continued to fall, prompting the hunter to put his helmet back on. Finally the explosion stopped, leaving a large hole in the ceiling. Pekis readied his shrapnel launcher, and waited for whoever was here.

A cloud of dust created from the attackers clouded the area. Seeing movement above through the dust, the guardian fired flaming hot shrapnel, hitting one the targets making him cry out in pain. A body dropped through the hole, falling through the dust until hitting the floor with a satisfying breaking sound. Pekis moved closer while watching the opening to get a look who it was. After making his way across the room, he stopped a foot away from a fallen dreg laid dead.

Pekis examined the corpse "He's not part of the House of Winter." Looking over the dreg wearing white, and yellow armor, understanding dawned on him "The House of Kings!?" On cue, a dozen yellow painted fallen shanks flew through the opening, each firing streams of arc projectiles. Dodging the incoming fire, Pekis fell back taking cover behind the statue, and retaliated with balls of fire. After five shanks were shot down, the rest scatter around the room as several ropes descended from the ceiling. Dregs and vandals rappelled downward, and set their sights on their target.

Shock rifles, shock pistols, and shrapnel launchers were now trained on the lone hunter. Pekis now had to deal with gunfire from above, and in front of him. The mob of fallen pressed their advance as more of them continued to show up pushing Pekis back. The hunter move from cover to cover, shooting as many as he could. While he was busy reloading, a cloaked fallen captain moved passed his subordinates armed with shock swords. After reloading, Pekis aim his launcher again, and fired hitting the captain, and disabling his cloak. With his cover blow, the captain charge eager for the kill. "BRING IT ON!" Pekis said as the captain swung his swords.

In one quick move, Pekis use his launcher block the income blades causing them to get stuck in its frame. With the gun rendered useless now, Pekis pulled it back ripping the swords out of the captain's hand, and tossed it to the floor. Disarmed the captain threw a series of fists at the guardian. Following a few quick evades, the hunter grabbed one of the captains hands, twisted it, kicked him in the side of his knee forcing him of balance, turned him around pinning his arm behind his back, and wrapped his other upper arm around his neck. "Your gonna be my bullet sponge, bitch." Pekis whispered pulling out both his and the captain's shock pistols with his lower arms.

With the captain as his hostage, Pekis continued to fall back while sending rounds from his duel pistols. The captain felt humiliated, and betrayed by his house mates who continued to shoot at him without a care. Despite the number of fallen that were being dropped, more of them continued to arrive. "Pekis we need to get out of here!" his ghost yelled frantically.

"You got it!" Pekis let the captain go, planted a arc grenade of his back, and kicked him away. The captain fell on his stomach when the grenade exploded, killing him, and few vandal swordsmen who tried to rush the hunter. Severally outnumbered, Pekis ran back inside the tunnel he came from. "Ghost, can you transmate us back to the ship!?"

"The ship is out of range! We can't!" The hunter once again ran through the flooded tunnel with a fallen hoard at his back. Before making it to the other side, he threw a arc grenade over his shoulder. As soon as it hit the water it electrified ever fallen in it. After making it out of the academy, the guardian believed he had finally escaped. Unfortunately that was not the case.

Waiting outside were six dozen House of Kings skiffs hovering in the sky along with a few dozen ground soldiers with pikes lead by a baron on the ground. Pekis stopped in his tracks upon seeing the mass facing him. "Oh shit." he said trying to figure out his next move.

The baron standing in the back of the crowd smiled behind his mask. "To think I be the one responsible for killing this traitor." The baron took deep breath "FIRE!" On command the mass of fallen, and skiffs fired all their weapons.

With no time left, Pekis activated his blade dancer, and jumped high into the avoiding the barrage of gunfire. Grabbing onto one of the academy ledges, Pekis looked around for an opening on the ground. After spotting one, he used his blink to safely get down. The fallen spotted him just as his super began to wear off. Before it did, Pekis gripped of of the swords like a spear, and chucked it at the closest skiff.

The pilot of the skiff didn't think the sword would do an serious damage to his ship, and he was mostly right. While the sword didn't do much damage, it did pierce the armor of the of the cockpit, and impale the pilot through his chest. Once the sword vanished, the pilot's torso fell on top the controls, and sent the ship flying into the waters of the shattered coast. "Ghost! Pike! Now!" Pekis mounted his Pike and took off heading back to the Headlands.

Dispite the loss of a ship, and a few dozen soldiers the baron was still very confident. "HA! That traitor runs!" He then mounted his own pike "After him!" Every pike rider that was there went after Pekis with the skiffs following to provide air support in the chase.

Pekis returned to the Headlands with the kings not far behind. "Ghost! We need to sent out a distress signal!"

"Opening Comm channel Now!"

"Mayday, This is hunter Pekis! I am currently be chased by a army of fallen dicks! Need immediate assistance from any guardians in the area or at the tower." The squadron of Pikes lead by the Baron caught up to Pekis, and began fire their mounted pike guns. "WHOA, FUCK OFF YOU ASSHOLES!" Pekis pulled out one of his shock pistols, and began firing behind him. The shot he fired manage to make some hit, but were not strong enough to damage the pikes.

The chase continued while they were approaching a small tunnel. "Pekis, this path lead to the Ember Caves! Its where the entrance to the House of Winter's lair is!"

Hearing his ghost, Pekis formulated a plan "That gives me an idea."

Standing outside the Winter's lair, a fallen captain stood wearing white, and blue color armor stood guard on the platform overlooking the open area of the Ember caves. While on look out, one of his vandals approached him "Sir, out scouts report of a large disturbance along the shattered coast."

"It could be the vex that are responsible. Tell everyone to stay on high alert until I say otherwise." The vandal nodded his head in acknowledgment, and left to distribute to order. The captain returned his gaze back to the field when suddenly he load noises coming from the direction of the headlands. He took out his fallen styled binoculars to look for the source. In the distance he saw a single pike emerge from a nearby cave followed by a squadron of pikes. Upon closer inspection of the drivers, he could see they were wearing yellow colored armor. "HOUSE KINGS! Sound the alarm!"

While speeding towards the Winter's Lair Pekis could hear what sounded like an air raid siren. With the House of Winter on full alert, dozens of dregs, vandals, and captains poured out to fight off the invaders just as the House of King's skiffs appeared in the airspace. Once Pekis got within ear shot he yelled will firing his pike's guns "We're the House of Kings, and we're here to kill you pieces of shit! Start shooting at us!"

The Winter defenders opened fire on every fallen that wasn't with them. Pekis had a few close calls while the pursuing kings were taking casualties. Half of the pike drivers had been killed, and their vehicles crashed into each other. Winter captains fired scorch canons at the income skiffs doing serious damage to the ships. Happy with the result he was seeing, Pekis tried to make a clockwise trip around the cinders, and make a break for the canyon that would lead to the vex citadel.

Before he could, another king skiff arrived from orbit, and dropped of a walker tank, blocking the canyon. Pekis then tried for the tunnel he came through, but a second skiff showed up and dropped of another walker, trapping Pekis in the Cinders. "Ghost! Can You call the ship to us!?"

"the House of Kings have fighters in the air! They'll shoot down the ship if it gets to close!"

"Fuck! then we'll have to hold out until backup arrives or until the kings give up!" The sound of more skiffs coming from orbit joined the sounds of the war between Winter, and Kings. As he was driving, one of the skiff flew over Pekis, and dropped bouncing mines ahead of him. "SHIT!" Pekis tried to maneuver around them, but one of them manage to hit his pike causing him to lose control. He jump of before it exploded leaving him with his back against the wall in a three way war zone.

More Kings skiffs came and dropped off reinforcements in the middle of the battle field while more Winter soldiers flooded out of their lair. The Kings were split in two since they had the House of Winter on one side, and their target on the other. The King's walkers were force to focus on the house of Winter just to keep them from overrunning them. The baron rejoined his men the the center "We cannot leave until that traitor is dead! FORWARD!" On that note over a hundred fallen soldiers charge at the lone hunter.

Taking cover behind a several large rocks, Pekis stared at the incoming siege. "Alright then." Pekis transmated his walker minigun onto the ground. Picking it up with all four of his hands, he began winding up the barrels then spraying a barrage of death. In seconds dozens of fallen fell dead, their blood staining the ground.

Seeing his soldiers gun down, the baron radioed the skiffs "I want a carpet bombing on that traitor!" Acknowledging the order a skiff pilot zeroed in on Pekis' position while dodging the volley of fire from the scorch cannons. Pekis saw the skiff fly overhead dropping bombs on him. The explosion did some damaged on his shields, but he was still standing. Pekis then switched his focus to the skiff, targeting its engines since their armor was the weakest. After a minute Pekis had manage to destroy the engines, sending it falling into one of the nearby mountains.

Pekis was forced to reload after that. While he was working of that, the kings situation was becoming desperate. With most of their forces dead, and the House of Winter pressing on their position they couldn't hold out much longer. A captain rushed over to the baron "Sir we must leave! Our defenses are crumbling!" At the same time the Winter's scorch canons manage to destroy one of the walkers.

"NEVER!" The baron yelled completely outraged. "Lord Peldaks ordered us to kill Peekis, and we're not returning as failures!" The baron set his sights on Pekis, seeing he was distracted. Seeing this a the perfect opportunity, the baron drew all four of his swords, and charged. As bullets pass by him, and explosions happened around him the baron drew closer to his target. Pekis was almost done when out of the corner of his eye the baron leaped at him with his four swords aimed at him.

Unable to react fast enough, Pekis thought it could be it. When the baron's victory seemed certain, a two pronged sparrow slammed into him in the air. The prongs pierce his armor, and the sparrow crashed into a boulder then exploded, blowing the baron to pieces. Pekis looked around for the driver, and saw a warlock gently float down in front of him. The warlock was wearing a full suit of golden Iron Banner armor with a Light Beyond Nemesis helmet. Standing up, Pekis stared at the warlock "Who are you?"

The warlock's pulled her helmet off revealing a human woman with a slightly tanned face. Her eyes were emerald green, her hair was black, and she had pinkish lips. "I'm Ellie Frost of fire team hammer scorch."

"Wait a minute. Your Ellie Frost!? Then that means."

Before he finished a loud yelling sound filled the air. "WOOOO!" turning his head he saw a hunter wearing a set of Neuroghast armor riding a sparrow at high speeds. The hunter drove into the crowd of kings that were left, jumping off before hitting anyone. The sparrow acted like a battering ram plowing threw several fallen. Landing on his feet, the hunter drew his Last Word, and began picking off fallen.

A second sparrow arrived, its driver wearing Armada Type 3 titan armor jumped off, and unleashed a fist of havoc on the Kings. With their leader dead, and their defeat imminent the last remaining captain ordered an immediate evacuation. Responding to the order every king on the ground transmated to their remaining skiffs. Once the skiffs were loaded they took off heading back to where they came from, leaving the guardians with the remaining House of Winter soldiers.

With the kings gone, the last of the House of Winter charge on their position. "Talk later. Fight now." Ellie said putting her helmet back on.

"No problem." Pekis said picking his gun back up. With his new backup Pekis met the fallen head on. Pekis stayed behind his comrades firing his minigun from a distance while his comrades got close. The titan pulled out his Invective, and began blasting, or punching every fallen that got to close.

Ellie armed with her Parthian Shot order something to her hunter team mate. "Crux! Shadow Shot! Now!" Crux immediately began emitting a purple aura around him a something formed in his hand.

"What the?" Pekis was at a lost at what was happening. Crux, now hold a bow made of void energy, pulled his arm back then released. A arrow was sent into the crowd of fallen hitting the ground. A few seconds later multiple strings came out of the small vortex that was created, and tethered every fallen that got close making them easy prey.

With the enemy pinned down, the guardians systematically slaughtered the fallen. The remaining stragglers fell back into their lair leaving the guardians behind on a war-tron battlefield. With the threat gone, the guardians relaxed and regrouped on Pekis. The newly arrive fire team removed their helmets revealing two familiar faces. "Pekis. I did not expect to be seeing you again so soon" Avez said coolly.

"Me neither." Pekis took a deep breath, "What are you doing out here?"

"After we got back to the tower the vanguard ordered us to do recon out here." Avez answered.

"We were busy scoping out some of the vex ruins when we heard you of all people sending out a distress call." Crux looked at the carnage around them "Although we did not expect to be facing a fallen invasion force."

"Which begs the question, what were you doing out here?" Ellie asked.

Suddenly a another ship appeared, prompting the guardians to raise their weapons. As the ship got closer Pekis recognized it. "Hold your fire. They're with me." Flying overhead Pekis' ship dropped off its two occupants.

Kelly, and Bitsine appeared, their exotic weapons in hand, and approached. "Pekis, what the hell happened here?" Bitsine asked astonished by the bodies around them. "And who are they?" Bitsine pointed at the unfamiliar guardians.

Pekis still tired from recent events responded "Its gonna take a while to explain."


	12. Chapter 12

One Hour Later Venus, Ishtar Sink, Ember Caves

An hour passed after Pekis' rescue came. Kelly, and Bitsine were not expecting to show up to late to help Pekis, or that he would have decimated a Fallen army by the time they got to him. Kelly herself was thrilled to see Crux, and Avez again. Pekis spent the last hour going over everything that happened during his departure while the others listened closely.

"So now the best chance we have at finding the Garden is to speak with the Awoken. Then she just vanished, and that's when the Kings showed up. After that you know the rest." Pekis finished.

The five guardians he was talking to stood there. "So you need to talk to the Awoken. Good thing we got one right here." Crux said placing a hand on Avez's shoulder.

Avez looked at Crux with an annoyed look. "I think he means the Awoken of the Reef." Avez knocked his hand off "And the City isn't on the best of terms with the Reef."

"Still if we don't try the Traveler is never going to get better," Kelly replied. "and Pekis will spend the rest of his life in ignorance."

Ellie took much interest in Kelly's words. "Yes I must admit I wonder why the House of Kings followed you way out here."

Pekis' attention turned to her "Well we did destroy one of their operations a few weeks ago. It was probably an act of revenge for it."

"I don't think so." Ellie stated. "They're have been plenty of disruption with their operations years before you three were around, but they have never gone to such extremes for simple revenge."

"Then what else could it be about?" Bitsine asked.

"I don't know, But I think Pekis' memories might have an answer."

Ellie's words sunk in for a few moments. "So what?" Kelly said "Do you think Pekis might have a history with the House of Kings?"

"Perhaps. Usually only a Kell,or Prime Servitor could authorized this kind of incursion."

"Whatever the case we're still left with the same problem." Pekis interrupted. "We can't find anything out until we find the Black Guardian."

"Wait there's one thing I don't understand." Bitsine said "How did the House of Kings even know you were here?"

Bitsine's question caused the others to wonder the same thing. "I don't know. I didn't run into any Kings when I arrived." Pekis replied.

Silence filled the air as the guardians ran different scenarios in their heads. Minutes passed until Pekis came up with an idea snapping his fingers. "Ghost can you scan the orbit around the planet?"

Pekis' ghost was curious about were he was going with this. "Not from here. We have to return to space for me to do that." It became apparent that this was were the two fire teams had to depart. Ellie, Crux, and Avez had to continue the mission the vanguard had assigned them to while the other returned back to their ships. Pekis transmated back into the front seat of his ship with Kelly behind him, and Bitsine back into hers.

In less then a minute the guardians returned to orbit. The three of them sat, and waited as their three ghost use their ship's systems to widen their sensors. Bitsine sat alone in her ship while listening to some pre-Traveler music. She tapped her hand along to the song while things were more quite in the ship her counterparts were in. Kelly took out a book she got from the warlock libraries, about some of the history of warlock order, and a few of its former members such as Osiris.

While Kelly read, and Bitsine listened, Pekis thought to himself. What could have possibly happened to him before he died, what did the House of Kings have to do with it, and out of all of his kind that were in the solar system why was he chosen by a god. It seemed that the closer he got to his answers more questions arised. He stared out into the endless void as these thoughts plagued him while he could hear the sound of Kelly turning pages in her book.

Time progressed until the guardians heard a voice on the comms. "We found something." Pekis' ghost spoke. The announcement caused Bitsine to turn off her music, and Kelly to put her book away.

Pekis had a hunch they might find something considering that there was no signs of the Kings on the surface when he first arrived. Shaking off his previous thoughts, Pekis brought his attention to the situation at hand. "What did you find?"

"This." the ghosts displayed projections of a Kings styled Fallen shipped drifting in space. The ship had thick armor plating covering it, and multiple antenna dishes for intercepting transmissions. The guardians looked at the ship with interest having never seen a design like this. "From the chatter were picking up from the ship we believe it a listening ship for the House of Kings."

Kelly continued to examine the ship, listening to the ghost at the same time. "Have they ever built something like this before?"

"Never anything so advanced." Her ghost said with curiosity. "They must have use a lot of resources to make that."

"So should we take it out?" Bitsine asked wanting to deal a damaging blow to the Fallen.

Pekis looked at the ship, noticing the shielding, armor, and defense turrets it had. "No." Bitsine sighed in slight disappointment. "We don't have the firepower to destroy it. We need to alert the Vanguard."

"So we send a message to them, and wait for them."

"NO!" Kelly outburst startled the Eliksni sitting in front of her. "Sorry for that. We can't do that, that ship is designed for intercepting messages, anything we send they could pick up. We have to go back to the tower to avoid letting the Fallen know we're onto them."

"Your right." Pekis agreed. After saving the location of the ship, the fire team began the jump back to Earth.

_ One Hour LaterThe Last City, Tower

After returning to the City, the guardians reported by to the Vanguard. The Zavala, and Ikora held disturbed faces when hearing of a Kings presence on Venus. Cayde on the other hand was simply impressed by his hunter for hold his own against such a Fallen blitz. "Wow! you are something else."

"Cayde!" Zavala was irritate that his hunter counterpart was not taking the situation seriously. "Now is not the time to be focusing on battlefield actions. There is a more pressing matter at hand."

Cayde's excitement died down from Zavala's gaze "Ahh, Can't you let me daydream for a bit." Cayde lowered his head, remembering the situation he was stuck in. "I got to get out of this tower." he muttered.

Turning away from the hunter, Zavala looked back at the fire team that had given their report. "In any case this information is most troubling."

"Indeed," Ikora began "The House of Kings being on Venus is rare itself, and such a large force being sent there has not happened in years." Ikora was right about that. The House of Kings almost never would put such a large number of manpower, and resources at risk by sending them off Earth. For them to have actually done it means that they must of had a serious motivation for it.

"And this information of the Fallen spy ship is large victory on its own." Zavala said. The Kings had gone to great lengths to keep their ship secret, but their boldness in sending a invasion force had revealed their secret.

"What do you plan to do about it?" Kelly asked. "That ship is well equipped for defense."

"No need to worry about that." Ikora replied. "We have special fire teams on hand whose specialty is ship to ship warfare. We will have them deal with this threat." The fire teams in question were called the Ship Breaker Squadrons. While every guardian had their own space faring ship capable of combat, the Breakers were exceptional. Each Breaker had their own specially customized ship built to cripple enemy fleets. From wiping out Fallen fighter squadrons, and Hive Tomb ships to crippling Fallen Ketchs the Breakers are always up to the task. Unfortunately their numbers are so few that the Vanguard keep them in reserve for special cases.

"Yes, they will ensure of its elimination." Zavala said. "In the meantime their is the reason for your journey to Venus." he fixed his gaze on Pekis.

The hunter figured they would want to talk about it. "You mean my contact?" Pekis asked.

Zavala nodded his head "How did you come contact with her?" Zavala had become somewhat suspicions of Pekis after learning of his recent expedition. With the involvement of the House of Kings the Titan Vanguard was concerned of what allegiances he might have had before.

"She contacted me on the moon when we went to stop the Hive's ritual."

Cayde was enthralled by the news of the Exo Stranger. "Did you two know about it?" he asked Kelly and Bitsine.

Kelly and Bitsine looked at each other unsure of how to respond. "Well...his contact only talked to him on a secure channel, but he told us about it afterwards." Kelly answered. She hoped that her response might take some of the Vanguard's pressure off her friend.

"Well that would make sense" Cayde replied plainly. He always heard the legends of the Stranger. Some say she is just a hallucination caused by exposure to Vex technology, or the last of an ancient Exo squadron. Others claim she could dissolve in, and out of reality as if she is a visitor from somewhere beyond. Cayde figured he would never get to met her since he was stuck in the Vanguard. It was a shame for him considering he heard that she was also cute.

"Whatever the case may be, from what you told us the Black Garden posses a serious problem." Ikora said grimly. "If the Vex have something of such power at their disposal then we must ripe out the heart before they can fully utilize it."

"Agreed." Zavala said returning his attention to the fire team "For the meantime you continue following your lead to the Reef. If they can help you then it will be worth the effort."

"Yes sir." Pekis replied.

"Oh yes, and please don't cause any trouble once your their." Ikora didn't wish to cause an incident between City, and the Reef. Their relationship with the Reef was shaky enough as it is. "I recommend one of you go alone to the reef." Ikora's words hit the guardians good taking into account what just happened a few hours ago.

"Very well." Pekis said as they took their leave. On their way out the hunter decided that he would be the one to go. " Well it looks like I'll be going on another solo mission." he said bluntly.

"Are you serious?" Bitsine asked shocked. "You just survived a Fallen invasion, and you want to go on another solo run."

"It's not that I want to, but the Stranger did call out to me, and Ikora did ask that only one of us go."

"Yeah, but still." Kelly replied worriedly. "Don't you want to take a break before you go?" She was surprised that Pekis would already be ready to go.

"Of course I do." Pekis stop in his tracks to talk to them. "I wasn't gonna go now. I was gonna go tomorrow."

"Well good." Kelly stated firmly. "You're getting a good night sleep before you go anywhere." Kelly stunned her friends with her statement. It seemed that her stubborn nature had revealed itself once again. She grabbed his hand, and pulled him as she walk to their barracks. Pekis figured that it might not be best to argue with her right now.

Bitsine stared with wide eyes as they walked away. Before they got too far a thought popped into her head. "Wait!" she said running to catch up with them. The hunter and Warlock stopped and turned around. "There's one thing we need to talk about."

"What?" The two asked simultaneously making Bitsine feel the situation getting weirder.

"Those friends of yours from Venus. They had a name for their fire team."

"Yeah," Pekis said "It was fire team Hammer Scorch. Why?"

"Well I was thinking we should come up with a name for our team." Bitsine suggestion intrigued them. Kelly had never really thought about it, and Pekis didn't think fire teams could have name for themselves.

"I think that's something we could do, but I don't have any Ideas for names." Kelly stated a bit ashamed of herself for not have more creativity. She hoped that her friends might have some Ideas.

Pekis crossed his arms while he thought. After a while he gave up. "I can't think of anything good."

It was all left to Bitsine now. Since It was her Idea she had to come up with something good. Her team mates waited for minutes on end until they heard the sound of Bitsine snapping her fingers. "I got it! How about fire team Burning Light." She said with a hopeful expression. Pekis, and Kelly looked at each other thinking about the name. They both smiled, and nodded to each other. They returned their looks of approval to Bitsine which caused her to scream. "YES!"

_ MeanwhileHouse of Kings Lair, Unknown Location

Another day in the House of Kings lair. This time it was busier than usual. The Kell of Kings sat on top his throne, looking down at his underlings that were passing information to each other. It had been some time since they had received the message from their spy ship from Venus about Pekis' location. After ordering that small fleet to assassinate him captains, and barons alike were reorganizing their forces to make up for the loss of numbers until they returned.

The news of Pekis being chosen by the Great Machine was not sitting well with the Kell. He sat there while his anger continued to boil, and it had not simmered down since receiving the news. Dispite this turn of events he was confident that the baron he placed in charge would complete his mission to the letter. He was a fiercely loyal baron, and would not return with anything less than failure. He knew that if they did so otherwise, It would mean his death.

The Kell shut his eyes thinking about how good he'll feel once he would receive the good news. He opened his eyes once he heard the sound of someone approaching him. Looking at who it was he saw that is was his son Paskin. Behind him was a captain who had his head down, and was obliviously frightened. "Father, a captain of the force we sent to kill Peekis has returned."

The fact that a captain, and not the baron he sent was here was not a good sign. The Kell glared at the captain "What happened to your baron?" he asked with a dark voice.

Sensing the anger coming from him the captain got down on one knee before responding. He hoped he might come out of this alive. "Lord Peldaks, It is my deepest regret to inform you that he was killed."

Peldaks griped his Shrapnel Launcher that was sitting on the side of his chair. "Did you complete your mission!?" The tone of his voice confirmed that the answer that he received would be a matter of life and death for the captain.

The captain shut his eyes "No, Peekis still lives."

With no hesitation Peldaks aimed his gun. "FAILURE!" a loud shot ringed throughout the room as the captain's head was destroyed by the balls of hot metal that impacted it. His body fell backwards, and the blood from his open neck hole began to pool around him. The sight was shocking to say the least for everyone in the room except for the baron Paskin.

Peldaks leaned back into his chair as two vandals came to clean of the mess. He looked back at his son "Where are the rest of the survivors"

"They are in the healing ward. A lot of them were injured during-" Paskin was cut off.

"Kill them all!"

"Father?" Paskin asked not sure he understood.

"I said, KILL THEM ALL! LET THEM BE AN EXAMPLE!"

"Right away!" Paskin immediately ran out of the room to carry out the order.

Peldaks was left to ponder the situation while the vandals began carrying the body away. This loss was a set back for him, but he had others he could use. All he had to do was wait for Pekis to show himself again. Yes, he had time, and an entire house at his disposal. "Peekis, I will see you dead at my feet again." he promised.


	13. Chapter 13

The Next Day, Noon The Last City, Tower Hanger

Following a night's rest, Pekis prepared for his journey to the Reef. He restocked his ammo synthesis, and did a diagnosis of his ship's systems to make sure there was no problems in case his trip went wrong. His ghost finished scanning the ship, and sent the information to the data pad Pekis had in his hand. Scrolling down the screen the hunter read that all systems were optimal. With the scan finished it was clear they were ready to leave. Before he could Pekis saw his friends approach him. "So, you ready to leave yet?" Bitsine asked.

Pekis took another look at his data pad. "Yup, Everything is working right, I got plenty of ammo, and now all that's left is to take off."

"Is all this really necessary?" Kelly thought it was a bit strange for him to be taking such precautions. "It's not like you're flying into a war zone."

Pekis sighed deeply "I don't know that for sure. There's a chance they may have a problem with this." Pekis gestured to his body then understanding dawned on Kelly. Dispite the fact that he was a guardian, Pekis was still a Fallen. Kelly had gotten so use to him that she forgot that his people had a infamous reputation throughout the solar system. It's unknown to anyone how the Awoken will respond to a Fallen guardian that just strolls up on their territory.

"Well then perhaps your precautions are a good idea." Kelly's face showed her discomfort. Pekis had just come back from one impossible situation, and now he could very well be walking into another. There was so many unknowns about the Awoken, even more than the House of Kings who are always so secretive.

Bitsine notice her anxiety, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, this is Pekis we're talking about. The Awoken got nothing on this badass." Her words allowed a small smile to appear on Kelly face, but truthfully Bitsine was having her own doubts as well. "Pekis you better come back alive." her voice was stern.

Pekis simply stared at her before responding. "I don't plan to die today."

"No one does." Kelly whispered to herself not knowing Pekis was able to hear her. Fallen senses were more refined than humans allowing him to be able to listen to people from a certain distance.

Kelly words had pierced Pekis. He looked into her eyes, seeing the fear she was feeling. Seeing that caused something to spark to life within him. Since his revival he had know nothing about who he was before, or why he was out of all his people he was chosen by a god. The only thing he knew for sure was that the two standing in front of him were the best thing to happen to him so far, and he was not about to get killed by a bunch of reclusive, shady people, and leave them to morn his death.

New determination, and confidence burned within him. If the Awoken were going to try, and kill him, they were going be in a rude awaking. "I'll be back, I promise." Pekis assured them.

Bitsine smirked "Damn right you will." Bitsine stepped forward to whisper something in his ear "Kelly will murder you if you don't." They both chuckled simultaneously at the idea.

Kelly raised a brow at the interaction "What's so funny?"

Their laughter stopped at the question. "Uh, I was just telling him a joke." Bitsine answered.

"Really...Can I hear it?" Kelly asked suspiciously.

"Later." Bitsine needed time to make something up in her head. To buy more she turned to Pekis "So anything else you need."

"No, I'm all ready to leave." Bitsine cursed in her mind thinking that would have dragged out longer. With all the preparations taken care of Pekis jumped on top of his ship to get into the cockpit. "Good Luck!"

"I should be saying that to you." Pekis said with a smirk.

'Smart-ass' Bitsine thought knowing what he was talking about. Pekis started his ship causing it to liftoff the hanger floor. Finally the ship blasted off into the sky leaving the two guardians alone with each other.

With her friend gone once again Kelly decided to give Bitsine her full attention now. "So, can I hear that joke now?"

"Uh, okay." Bitsine took a few seconds to finish coming up with something. "Alright...A Hive, an Exo, and a Fallen walking into a church."

_ One hour LaterAsteroid Belt, Reef

After exiting Jump space the hunter, and his ghost greeted by the sight a purple nebula. As they flew closer, leaving the dark void behind them, Pekis stared in awe at the sight around him as the remains of destroyed colony ships passed by them. Even thought this was the sight of something tragic that had happen, Pekis saw how the nebula, and the ships seemed to have formed together to create semi natural piece of cosmic art. "Where did all this come from?"

"Every ship that could escape fled Earth during the Collapse. They made it this far. I guess they died out here." The ghost said with sorrow.

"It's a graveyard, and yet it somehow managed to create something astounding." Pekis continued to look around, seeing the numerous amount of ships. Many of them seemed to have a lack of burn marks, as if instead of being blasted apart by weapons, something had actually managed to rip them apart. "How did the Awoken survive?"

"No one knows." the ghost stated.

"Well make sure to take some pictures of this. I want to show the others when we get back."

"I've already been doing that." Pekis smiled seeing how they had the same thought. Unknown to them two triangular shape fighters had been hiding amongst the debris. Once they had been passed by the sentry pilots started up their engines, and began tailing the duo. Pekis looked a the rear view monitor on his side, and saw that they were being follow.

"What the?" he said before a female voice spoke over the comm.

"Intruder bearing 127. You have crossed into the realm of the Awoken. State your business, or be fired on by order of the Queen." The voice speaking was firm, and professional making it obvious that whoever it is was not to mess around with.

The duo look at each other with unsure looks. "Don't look at me." the ghost said "Better say something.

"Okay then." Pekis cleared his throat before responding to the Awoken pilot. "I am a guardian from Earth. We're here to seek the counsel of the Awoken."

The pilot paused after hearing the hunter's voice. At first she thought it might be an Exo that was the Pilot, but the accent was too off to be one. It was definitely an organic's voice, but it couldn't be a Human's, or another Awoken's. The accent was harsh, raspy, and very familiar.

After a few more moments a conclusion came to the pilot. She finally realized what species he was, and now her fingers was hovering over the trigger. she was at a lost at what to do. Should she fire, and destroy a potently Fallen threat to the Reef, or should she allow passage, and let the queen hear what he had to say.

While the Awoken were dealing with their dilemma the guardian was sitting patiently in his ship. Pekis to tapping his fingers against the ship's controls while this very tense full moment dragged out. "What are they waiting for?"

"Maybe they've never had a guardian visit them before." If the ghost had a heart, it would be pumping nonstop from the tension.

Pekis had his hands ready to pilot the ship out on a moments notice when the pilot's voice flared over the comms. "Conform to my trajectory. Any deviation will be taken as an act of aggression."

"We understand." Pekis replied. The Awoken flew passed them prompting Pekis to follow. The hunter let out a deep breath "Whoa, they sure like being dramatic." he said glad it was over.

"Why does drama have to be so terrifying."

The ship spent the next few minutes navigating through the nebula with the Awoken taking the lead. Once they approached their destination Pekis, and his ghost eyes opened fully at what they saw. "A Fallen Ketch." the ghost said with amazement.

Pekis looked over the ship noticing the purple, yellow color style to them. "What house does it belong to?"

"None. It's the Awoken's ship now." the ghost answered looking at the symbol of the Reef painted on the hull.

Pekis look at where the coordinates lead them. "Looks like were're suppose to head for the the Ketch's hanger." The Awoken fighters broke off, and allowed the guardian to continue his path. In a few moments the duo had slowly entered the hanger. While landing the ship on the floor Pekis saw a team of Awoken guards waiting for them. "Looks like the welcoming committee is here."

The guards were standing at attention while they were waiting for their guests. In a flash of of light a captain size Fallen appeared in front of them with a ghost by his side. "Fallen!" One of the guards declared, causing the rest of them to raise their weapons at the hunter.

Pekis gripped his two shock pistols with his lower arms in response. His ghost hid behind him, afraid that this would happen. The standoff was tense, both sides waiting for the other to make a move. A fire fight seemed certain until one of the guards received a communication, and pressed the comm device in her ear. "Yes?"

"Stand down. This one has permission to see me." A soft sounding voice ordered. The guard recognized the voice. It was the queen of the reef.

The guard lowered her weapon "Stand down. He has permission." The others were hesitant to comply, and Pekis was not going to stand down until they do. Eventually, guns were lowered, and pistol grips were let go. With the situation defused, the hunter approached his greeters. They simply stared helmet-less Fallen that stood a head taller in front of them until the silence was broken. "We will escort you to the queen. Follow us, and if you try to go on your own, you will be treated as hostile."

Pekis took a deep breath "Very well." Two of the guards lead the way with Pekis close behind, while the others followed behind him, seeing the black cape with the white symbol of the Traveler he wore. After leaving the hanger they walked through the hallways of the Ketch. As they passed through, other Awoken moved to the side, staring at the Eliksni among the group with shock...or with disgust.

Pekis could hear the whispers of the guards, unaware he was listening to them. "Scavenger, Bug, Fallen."

Pekis' temper steamed a bit, but he supposed he couldn't blame them that much. His people arrived in the system just a few day after the collapse had happened, and since then they caused nothing, but despair. Pekis had to admit he was a bit ashamed of it. The Fallen have spent most of their time plotting against the City, murdering anyone they came across, or stealing any technology they found.

His thoughts made him make a few soft laughs as he remembered some of the things he heard they had done. Lakshmi had told him the House of Devils were the reason London was put to the torch. The House of Winter spent years stripping Venus of everything of value. The rejects of the House of Exile were actually stupid enough to try, and carve out a home on Luna, which was the stronghold of the Hive. "Idiots."

All this loss, this pointless struggle they were so desperate to fight, All for what? For the sake of reclaiming their Great Machine, to reclaim the light they once held so dear? Why was war the only way to get it back? In the beginning who was the first to fire the first shot? Did they even try to talk to the remnants of humanity? No, they just opened fire no questions asked. They probably couldn't handle having to share the light with anyone. Just a bunch of jealous brats throwing a tantrum.

Finally, were did he fit into it all. The House of Kings had a hit placed on him for whatever reason, but other than that he didn't have a lot of answers. Hopefully the Awoken could help him find them.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the group pass through a large door leading to the ship's bridge. Pekis' eyes traveled everywhere seeing the numerous drapes hanging from the ceiling. The bridge was Massive, a series of catwalks built through a large open space with large window at the front, giving the brig crew a clear view of what was in front of the ship.

Walking over one of the catwalks, Pekis was lead to a large seat placed in the center of the bridge, which was probable once the kell's throne. Standing in front of it was a blue skinned colored Awoken male with black blueish hair, and piercing yellow eyes. At the end of the catwalk the guards in front of the hunter stood to the side as Prince Uldren began the conversation. "So, these are the trespassers demanding an audience?" The prince glared at the Fallen in front of him with suspicion.

Pekis' ghost could hear the suspicion in his voice. "We didn't mean to trespass." it replied.

"The Queen herself judges who may, or may not enter the realm." Uldren started slowly walking down the steps of the throne. "Me, I see no reason she should be available for whatever washes up at the reef...But here we are."

"Wash up?" Pekis was offended by the comment.

"Indeed." Uldren smirked. Just then, two lance welding Fallen vandals wearing blue, and white colored armor, similar to House of Winter, appeared from behind the throne.

"Fallen!" the ghost said with panic. In response Pekis immediately grabbed one of his pistols, preparing to use it, but before he could aim Uldren grabbed his arm, and held a knife to his throat. In one quick move, Pekis pulled out his other pistol, and planted the gun barrel against Uldren's stomach. The two simply stayed there in a stalemate, glaring at each other while the vandals readied their lances for a fight.

The ghost switch its gaze between the two until a soft sounding voice broke the tension. "It is afraid of its own kind. It does not understand these ones are mine." Pekis turned his attention back to the throne to see a female Awoken with pale skin, light blue colored eyes, and long blonde hair. Queen Mara Sov sat down leisurely in her thrown, and her Fallen guards relaxed their posture.

With the Queen's appearance, Uldren slowly moved his knife away from the hunter's throat. Pekis reacted by putting his pistols back in their holsters, and relaxed. He glanced at the vandals standing at the queen's side, ready to protect her if needed. "So, you have my people working for you. That explains where you got this ship."

"Yes, they were...resistant at first, but in the end they all learned who they now bowed before." Leaning back in her chair, Mara Sov looked over Pekis, taking notes of his black, and Blue colored captain armor. Curiosity got the better of her "Tell me. What house do you hail from?"

Pekis figured that this topic might come up, Although he was not expecting other Fallen to be present when it did. "None. I am a guardian from Earth."

The vandals flinched at this announcement. The first one of their kind in centuries, this houseless had the Great Machine's gift? "A guardian?" Uldren snickered at this answer. "Oh, how the Traveler must truly be desperate to lower is recruiting standers to such a..." Uldren looked behind him to see the vandals then looked back, "extant."

Pekis' eye twitched at the insult, the vandals gripped their lances tighter, and they all began to growl under their breath. Right now if their was one thing they all agreed on, is that they hate this man right now. The queen sensed the anger emanating from the Fallen in the room, and could hear the growls of her guards. "Brother." Uldren looked back to see his sister, "If you continue to agitate our guest, I will not protect you."

Uldren look back at the hunter, then back again "Apologies...your grace."

'Yeah, that's what I thought.' the hunter thought as the queen's declaration calmed the Fallen in the room.

With the matter resolved, the queen decided to return to the topic that brought the guardian before her. "Now tell me. what brings you out here, away from your Traveler."

glad to be back on topic, Pekis replied "We're searching for the Black Garden."

Uldren looked at him confused "Why?"

"We seek to destroy the Darkness at its heart."

"You want to turn it into a battleground. How unimaginative."

This guy was really starting to piss Pekis off. "I honestly don't give two shits about how "unimaginative" it is. Now tell me do you know where it is?" Unknown to him, the vandals began having more respect for him for not taking shit from Uldren.

"Everyone knows where it is." the prince said plainly.

"Well that can't be the case, because then I wouldn't be here right now." the hunter replied annoyed with him.

"The hard part is getting in."

Pekis took a deep breath "Can you help us?"

Uldren took several steps closer "And why would we do that!?" The two were now a foot away from each other, sharing glares with each other.

"The Queen request counsel with her brother." Mara Sov wanted to defused the situation as quickly as possible.

Uldren hesitated for a moment then made his way over to his sister. Upon reaching her, he knelled down to speak to her. Pekis stood patiently while they talked, unable to make out what they were saying, because they were speaking to lowly for him to hear, despite his hearing. While waiting the hunter look at the vandals who returned his gaze. They all tried to read each other, trying to figure out what motivated them. Pekis wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that the vandals had given him nods of approval.

Uldren looked away from her sister, and back at the hunter. "Yes, that's good. Why not? We'll make you a key! How's that?" The prince stood up to face Pekis.

Pekis was glad to finally make some progress. "Okay, good. Thank you."

"All we need is the head of a Vex gate lord."

'FUCK, of course they want something insane as payment!' Pekis' mind filled with ideas on how to do that.

Pekis' ghost shuddered at the request "A gate lord...uh, we..."

An idea popped into the hunter's head. He leaned over to whisper something to his ghost, after which he held out his open palm where a large metallic sphere, with a broken off cable in its back, materialized. "How about the eye of the Devil's prime servitor, Sepiks Prime instead."

One of the vandals held back a shriek upon learning what it was. 'This houseless actually killed a prime!? What was he thinking!?'

Uldren chuckled a bit "A joker. How Amusing." he said sarcastically. "If you want to get into the Black Garden, you need to get us a gate lord's head so we can make a key with it."

Pekis suddenly felt silly "Oh, okay then." He put the eye back in his inventory "We will return."

"Or die on Venus. Either way."

Pekis scoffed at the remark then walked away, with the guards escorting him back to his ship. Along the way he saw more Fallen around the ship, all of them doing various tasks from guarding to making repairs. They all had heard the news that one of their own had been granted the gift of the great machine, and some had ditched their assignments to see if it was true. Sure enough it was.

As they continue the number of blue, glow in the dark eyes watching him from a distance increased. Pekis felt like a side show attraction, and he was the main event. He look around to see other Fallen, from dregs to captains, and even scribes, stop what they were doing to look at him. Pekis' ghost started to feel self conscience about the looks he was getting, and vanished to hide, leaving his guardian to take the brunt of it.

After several minutes of getting stared at, Pekis finally return to the hanger. Pekis let out a sigh of relief after see his ship. He quickly made his way over it when he noticed something strange had been placed next to it. Upon closer inspection he realized it was a chest. It was green with a brown colored lid. He knelled down to it, and saw a white paint Fallen symbol that he did not recognized.

Suspicious, Pekis look around the hanger to see if there was anyone there, but only saw hanger crew going about their day. turning is attention back to the chest, the hunter slowly, and carefully began opening it. He looked inside, and saw something peculiar. He pulled it out, and revealed it to be some form of shrapnel launcher, but it was different than that.

Moving it around in his hands, Pekis saw that this gun different than his old one. Instead of a chestnut red receiver, it had a tan colored one. The stock was shorter, and instead of a port to insert a canister for ammo, it took magazines filled with what looked like shotgun shells. He looked at it side, and saw another Fallen symbol engraved into the gun. Next to it was an inscription "By this right alone do I rule as Lord of Wolves."

Pekis reread the words again "Lord of Wolves? Huh? Okay, lets see what you can do." Eager to test his replacement, Pekis looked around for a suitable target. With not many options the hunter chose the chest it was in. He took a few steps back, and took aim. Pekis squeezed the trigger, and instead of the buckshot payload he was use to, the gun fired a precise burst of hot metal, like a pulse rifle. Surprised, Pekis looked at the now decimated chest. "Wow, this has more punch than my last one!"

From a distance, another blue set of eyes was watching the hunter who was obviously happy with the results. Behind a set of crates, a Fallen vandal wearing white, green colored robes with yellow colored lining, and the same Fallen symbol on the chest was on his cloths. His two upper arms were prosthetics, he carried a Fallen Devil staff with him, and he covered his mask with a small certain of metallic beads.

The vandal watched the hunter with full interest. He jump at the chance to find out if the rumors of Pekis were true, and decided to leave him with a special gift to help him survive out in the system. He smiled behind his mask, seeing his gift meet with enthusiasm gave him a little hope to live with. The vandal was so focus on the guardian who was about to take his leave he did not notice someone approaching him.

"Variksss?" A female Fallen voice addressed in English him making him flinch in surprise. He turn around to see a familiar Fallen also wearing House Judgement scribe robes.

Seeing who his was, Variks cleared his throat before responding. "Greeetings Prevkis. You have been practicing your speech, yesss."

Prevkis nodded "Its still an ongoing tassk." She pulled out a data pad from her robe "I finished accounting for all the prison's inmates as you assked."

Variks took the pad in his hand, and look through the information. "Good, good. Well done." Variks was glad to have Prevkis under his wing. It had been a few years since she had come to the Reef on her own. She heard that the Queen of the Reef had taken in Fallen after the Reef Wars. Prevkis abandoned her former house after a event she refuses to talk about to this day, and continued her life as a scribe for the Reef.

After she had arrived, other Fallen had treated her with suspicion, called her houseless for not aligning herself with a house. Variks heard of her a year ago, and made her an offer to become a member of House Judgement. Prevkis was stunned by it, House Wolves would not have her, believing she would just abandon them as well. Since then she had been the only other Judgement member besides Variks in years which he was thankful for. Now House Judgement had a better chance for survival.

"Variks, have you heard news!?" Prevkis was excited by the rumors that spread among her people.

"Yes, yeeess. that's why I came here. To see for myself." Variks turned around to look at Pekis again with Prevkis. Prevkis felt joy seeing it for the hunter for herself. Pekis was satisfied with his new gun, and placed it in his inventory. Before leaving he took one last look around for whoever his admirer might be.

Prevkis managed to see his face, the joy she was feeling before was now replaced with shock, and disbelief. Pekis enter his ship, and began take off procedures leaving the scribe paralyzed. With the show over, Variks turned to his apprentice to see her staring blankly. "Prevkis!?" Variks shook her, freeing her from her stupor "Are you Unwell?" he asked concerned.

Prevkis shook her head "No, NO! It can't be. I saw him die." She immediately left the hanger unable to believe what she'd seen, leaving Variks to contemplate what just happened. Variks followed her to make sure she was alright. On the way he thoughts returned to the guardian who just left.

'Perhaps he can stop the fall.'


	14. Chapter 14

Three Hours LaterLast City, Tower

"A FUCKING GATE LORD'S HEAD?!" Shortly after returning to the tower, Pekis made it his business to tell his teammates what had happened.

"Bitsine, calm down!" Pekis was hoping to keep everyone on a level head during their discussion. So far it had been working up until he brought up what the Awoken what from them.

"Pekis, It does seem to be quite the extreme risk to take." Kelly was surprised that her hunter counter part was being so calm about it. "Isn't there anything else they want."

Pekis sighed "It not like I want to do it, but they need a Gate Lord's head to make a key. Without it we'll never get into the Black garden."

Kelly couldn't argue with that. If they were going to destroy the Black Garden's heart, they needed a way in, but that still left one problem. "Okay, but did they tell you were to find it?"

Pekis looked away in embarrassment "Um, no they didn't."

"Ohh, Great." Bitsine shrugged her arms in annoyance "So, they send us to hunt down a giant Vex, but their not interested in sharing that piece of information with us. What's next, they want us to kill a kell before they give the key to us."

"Yeah, yeah. I know what you mean. The Awoken have a tendency to work Oddly with outsider's." Pekis took a deep remembering a certain irritation he meet. "And don't get me started on that jackass prince."

Kelly was surprised "A prince?"

Pekis nodded "Yeah, the queen's brother. Prick's name is Uldren." Just thinking about his made his blood boil. He just wanted bash that arrogant dick's teeth in.

Bitsine picked up Pekis' recent mood change "I take it you don't like him?"

"To put it lightly. That asshole straight out insulted the Traveler just, because it allowed yours truly to be a guardian."

"What the hell does he know!" Kelly took it a bit personal "I bet he's never seen the traveler, and sure as shit he doesn't know you." She made a promise to herself to slap the shit out of that prince if she ever met him.

"Speaking of reptile people," the change of conversation reminded Bitsine of something "does the queen really have a Fallen house working for her."

"Uh, yes, she does." Pekis was unsure how to feel about the reptile comment. "From their clothes they look like House of Winter, but the colors are to dark to be them."

Kelly's interest was sparked "Sooo, did you happen to talk with any of them?" She was hoping to hear that he was able to have a pleasant conversation with one of them. While the three of them were close friends, but she figured it might be good for him to have some connection with one of his own people, despite what he usually does for a living.

Pekis felt a ping of disappointment "No, I was under armed escort the whole time. Not that many chances for socializing."

"He was incredibly popular with them though." Pekis' ghost surprised them before materializing. "With the number of them that wanted to look at him, it was like they were seeing the second coming of the Traveler."

"Jeez, don't remind me." Pekis was uncomfortable thinking about that situation.

"Oh, really?" Bitsine smiled at the thought. "Your a celebrity in the city, and now with the Reef. Maybe Me, and Kelly should take notes."

"Trust me, its not as appealing as it sounds." Pekis looked at his ghost "And you vanished to let me take it all." He hit his ghost with a soft jab as payback.

"Hey, your the guardian. Your the one who suppose to deal with problems, while I give you support." The ghost said trying to defend himself.

Pekis shot him a look "Didn't seem like support to me."

Kelly laughed, enjoying the banter going on between the two. After exchanging a few more witty retorts, Kelly decided to return the the conversation back to the original subject. "Okay, okay. As funny as you two are, I think we should focus on our current problem."

"Oh, right. You mean hunting down a minor deity of the Vex pantheon, and cutting its head off." Bitsine said dryly. "I'm all for doing that, but were are we suppose to find one. It's not like their going to scream their position on a megaphone."

"Well our best bet will be Venus. With all the Vex constructs there we're bound to find one, or two." Kelly answered.

Pekis agreed with her idea, but he had another concern. "You might be right, but I think we need to learn more about them before going after one."

"Don't worry about that." Bitsine looked at Kelly with assured eyes "I'm sure Kelly, and her nerd friends in the libraries have plenty of info on them."

"On Gate Lords?" Kelly looked away in embarrassment "Um, While the warlock order has general information on the Vex, we have yet to collect info on the Vex higher ups, including Gate Lords."

"Oh, well that figures." Bitsine made a look of disappointment.

"Hey, we're scholars/warriors, not omnipotent." Kelly replied defensively. "So we're going to have to find another way.

"Okay, then." Pekis sat down on a nearby crate while he contemplated what to do. 'So there isn't anything in the libraries that can help us. I doubt the Awoken know anything, and I'm sure not going to ask them.' The hunter continued his thoughts while the others debated on a course of action.

"Why don't you double check the archives. Maybe you missed something."

"Believe me Bitsine, If there was something, I would know about it." Kelly had read plenty in the warlock libraries. The Vex's time travel capabilities, the radiolaria pulsing through each of their mechanical bodies, how they predate humanity by billions of years, but not much about their leadership, or their ultimate goal.

"Terrific." A though popped into Bitsine's head "Wait, what about the scout computer Pekis found on the Shattered coast. Maybe the previous owners found out something."

"No, His ghost sent all the data to mine. Its mostly Vex class, and conflux data."

Bitsine snapped her fingers "Damn it! I thought that would be our break."

"It's not too bad. The conflux data could help us track a Gate Lord la-" Kelly was cut off a Fallen voice.

"Cayde!" Pekis caught his fire team off guard

The titan, and warlock were confused as to what the hunter vanguard had to do with this. "What about Cayde?" Bitsine asked.

Pekis stood up "What you said about that outpost on Venus. The vanguard always sends fire teams to scout the colony ruins for Intel."

"So?" Kelly said.

"So, the Ishtar Sink's main scientific purpose was to study the Vex, and After the Collapse there's tons of abandoned computers with what we need."

Kelly, and Bitsine started to understand what he was getting at. "And the scouts report directly to Cayde, who probably can direct us to were we need to go." Kelly finished.

"Exactly." With a plan set, the hunter left his team to speak with his boss. Following another tense moment of silence while walking passed Shaxx, he reached the Hall of Guardians. Spotting the Exo he was looking for, looking at his scouts reports as usual, Pekis approach his superior.

Cayde was focus on his work until the sound of footsteps coming broke his concentration. He looked to see a familiar reptilian standing in front of him. "Well, if is isn't my favorite hunter." Pekis was surprised to be greeted that way, and Cayde realized his mistake. "Oh, um, don't tell the others I said that."

"No problem here. The last thing I need is other hunters pissed at me."

"Alright then. So what brings you here?"

"Well, I'm here about our search for the Black Garden. You keep records of scout reports from the Ishtar Sink, right?"

"Yeah, of course. I gone through so many reports I seeing them in my sleep." While Exos weren't organic, and didn't necessarily require sleep, they did do have to put them selves in a temporary shut down state every so often to recharge their power cores. As a guardian, Cayde didn't need to do so since his light would always keep him charged, but he did any way, because during that time Exo minds are put into a dream state. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I went to visit the Awoken."

Cayde's hunter desire for escapades was beginning to become aroused. "Really!? tell me, How did that go?

"It was...definitely not boring." Cayde smiled wanting to hear more. Pekis retold how his trip went from the welcoming committee to Meeting Uldren.

Cayde was especially beside himself when he heard what came next. "A Fallen House! They have Fallen working for them!"

Pekis took a step back from Cayde's reaction "Uh, yeah." Cayde's excitement had disturbed him somewhat. "I'm not sure where they came from though."

"I believe I can answer that." The two hunter's turned to face Ikora who had injected herself. "I believe the house you encountered was the House of Wolves."

"House of Wolves? Who are they?" Pekis never heard of that house before.

Cayde on the other hand did. "They were a Fallen house that moved throughout the system before the Battle of Twilight Gap. After the battle they vanished, and there has been no sighting of them in years."

"Yes, At Twilight Gap every Fallen house united in an effort to overrun the city. the House of Wolves were the only the only ones that were not present at the battle. It was unfortunate for the Fallen, at the climax of the battle the Fallen managed the break through the walls, and invade the city."

Hearing Ikora retell the history of the Twilight made Pekis remember a crucial detail. "But didn't Shaxx lead a counter attack, and pushed them out of the city."

"Oh, yes he did." Cayde smiled remembering that moment. "You have no idea how pissed Zavala, and Saladin were. Personally, I think they were jealous that they didn't think to do that themselves."

"We were angry, because he left his side of the wall vulnerable to an attack to do so." Zavala voiced before returning to his work.

"Yeah, yeah. whatever you say."

"Whatever the case, if the House of Wolves had been there they may have turned the tide of the battle."

"So the queen must have stopped them before they could join the other houses." Pekis finished.

"In all likely hood, yes." Ikora answered.

"So, anyway, what does the Ishtar Sink have to do with the Black Garden?" Cayde asked.

"Well following a racial insult by the prince, They told me that we needed to get the head of a Vex Gate Lord to get inside." Cayde made a jealous look at the idea. He really wanted to get out of the tower. "Do you know any place we can find info on them?"

"Ah, I think I got what you need." Cayde spoke to his ghost, and in a few seconds a holographic map of the Ishtar Sink appeared over his map on the table. "From my scout's reports, your best bet would be here." The hunter vanguard point to Campus 9. "Before the collapse, the eggheads who work at Campus 9 were doing a lot of research on the vex there."

Pekis placed his hands on the table, and look at the map. "This is very good, but I imagine that getting there is going to be a different story." Pekis didn't expect it to be easy.

"Afraid so." A series of red dots appeared all over the map. "The Vex have a tight hold on all the areas around their ruins, and After your little skirmish with the kings, The House of Winter have double up on guards, and patrols in their territory."

"Well that figures." Pekis made a deep sigh. "With these numbers we'll have to wear them down before we can get that far."

Cayde could tell that Pekis was feeling disappointed. It was a rare thing for him to see. Normally Hunters would be thrill to get into the heat of battle, but Pekis was different. He wasn't interested in fighting, at least not now. His main concern was finding the Black Garden, not dragging out the journey. He felt that Pekis had some personal motivation for doing all this. Cayde could feel for him "Don't worry. I can authorize to have fire teams break their back bone by tomorrow. You won't be alone over there."

Pekis turned is gaze away from the map to look at his superior. "Thank you." he sincerely said.

"No problem. We got to keep them in check anyway." Pekis took a copy of the map data, and made his way out. Cayde watched as his hunter walk out of the room. He smiled seeing that Pekis wasn't a noob anymore. "He's going to be great."

Pekis made his way back to the courtyard were he saw his friends waiting for him. He approached them with new aspiration from his meeting. "So how did it go?" Kelly asked hoping he got something useful.

Pekis opened his palm where his ghost appeared, and then projected the holographic map in between the three guardians. "Oh yes, I did." the hunter smiled happy to have a solid lead. According to Cayde our best chance for Gate Lord data would be here." Pekis pointed to Campus 9. "It use to be a facility for researching the Vex."

Kelly leaned forward to get a closer look. "That makes sense. A place like that is bound to have what we're looking for, but what are these red dots."

"Vex, and Fallen positions." Pekis stated grimly.

"Wow." Bitsine looked over the entire map. "That is a lot of red to deal with." Bitsine was always up for a fight, but this was stretching it for her.  
"How are we suppose to get by all that."

"Well thanks to Cayde, we won't be the only ones fighting. He going to have other fire teams help clear the bastards out."

Kelly felt relieved "That's great. I did not look forward to breaking so many enemy lines on our own."

"I feel the same way" Pekis said equally relieved.

"So when do we head out?" Bitsine asked eager to take the fight to the Vex.

"Tomorrow. We'll leave when the other fire teams are ready."

"Sounds good." The time Kelly had gave her a chance to finish reading a book she got from the library. "I'm gonna go back to the barracks."

"Ok, I'll head there later. What about you, Bitsine"

"I'm gonna head to the Cosmodrome to complete some bounties. I'll probably be back around night." bitsine turned around to make her way to the hanger. She turned back once to wave her friends goodbye. They waved goodbye back then watched her walk away.

"Okay, I'm going to the barracks. The Catcher in the Rye is a real page turner."

"Alright, see you later." Kelly left leaving Pekis alone to his thoughts. He walked his way over to the railing, once again focusing his sight to the city. during this time he contemplated the situation he was in while watching the citizens going about their day.

Pekis' P.O.V.

 **Our search for that damn garden is becoming a real bitch. I thought once I got the Intel from Cayde it wouldn't be long before we had a Gate Lord on its knees, but now it turns out its not going to be that simple. Every time I get closer to the truth there's something that gets in the way.**

 **All this crap I have to deal with, it feels like its becoming more than I can handle. I got nightmares that keep me up at night, people I've never met before popping out of my head, that stranger watching me, and the fucking Kings have it out for me. Just thinking about makes me think the best thing to do is get in my ship, take off, and don't look back.**

 **But I know that won't change any thing. Even if I did that I still be seeing things, and the Kings will still hunt me. Damn the Kings, from what I heard they usually stick to the shadows, but now their sending armies after me. What the hell was their business with me. How could I have pissed them off so much.**

 **I remember what the stranger told me. that I might not like what I remember. The more this search is prolonged, the more I think she might be right.**

P.O.V. End

A few hours past until Pekis realized that the sun was going down. He took a few steps back, taking one last look at the sunset, before walking away. He reach the barracks, and stood before the room he, and Kelly shared. The door opened revealing a certain warlock lying down on her bed still reading her book. She heard the door open, and turned to her side to see a familiar Fallen walk in. She smiled "So your finally here."

Pekis' armor glowed a bright blue color, and dematerialized leaving his skin suit. "Sorry about that. I've thinking about some things."

"It's no problem. I just though you be here earlier." Pekis walked over to his bed, bending over slightly to move the blanket so he could lay down. during that time Kelly surveyed his posterior, and felt disappointed when he moved to lay down on his back.

Pekis stared at the ceiling above him, his earlier thoughts still lingering in his mind. "Kelly?"

She was about to put her book away when she heard her name. "What?"

Pekis hesitated for a moment "Do...do you like the way your life turned out?"

Kelly was not expecting that sort of bombshell of a question. The truth is she never really thought about it that much. Their was so much going on she never tried to compare her old life to her new one. "Um, well, its been a challenge adjusting. I've never thought I wind up fighting onslaughts of aliens. Before the only thing I had to worry about was paying my mortgage, and planing my wedding." She took a deep breath remembering everything she lost. "And I do miss my parents, and Paul." The mention of Paul made Pekis cringe a bit. "But so far everything has turned out okay. I've got friends, a good place to spend my time," Kelly extended her hand in front of her face, Purple void energy surrounded it, lighting up the room. "A purpose."

Pekis turned his head to face her. "So what the verdict?"

"Yes. I happy to be here right now, to have you, and Bitsine as my friends. Before the Darkness came I never thought I'd ever have a chance to do something great, but now I do."

Pekis smiled hearing her answer "I'm happy for you. I just hope getting my memory back can give me some clarity about my life."

Kelly saddened hearing he was still struggling with that. "Don't worry. I'm sure it will." Kelly's ghost turned off the lights as the two guardians prepared to sleep.

Before drifting of to dreamland there was one last question the hunter wanted to ask. "Kelly do you have any hopes for the future?"

A sly smile formed on the warlocks face. She turned herself on her side facing away from Pekis. "The day when we join our beds together."

'join our beds?' Pekis was confused for a moment on what she meant. "Wait, what?" Kelly pretended not to hear him, leaving the hunter to his ideas.


	15. Chapter 15

One Week Later Venus, Ishtar Sink

It had been some time since the Vanguard begun sending fire teams to start clearing out the Fallen, and Vex in the Ishtar Sink. In the pass few day progress had been a slow going process do to the fact that the House of Winter were not going to give an inch to the City. They've been holding onto their territory viciously, trying to keep the guardians from gaining a foothold against them.

The Vex on the other hand posed a different problem. With their time travel, and teleportation abilities, made eliminating them tricky. Every time a team of guardians seemed to wipe them they could just bring in reinforcements from different points in time to retake the area. Their abilities even more problematic around the Vex ruins scatter around the south east part of the Sink.

Currently, Pekis, and his team were in the outskirts of the Ishtar Cliffs with two other fire teams. They had received Intel from the Vanguard that the House of Winter were amassing a small army in the Cliffs to assault a focal point of Vex activity. Pekis' team were the first to arrive on scene. Scoping the Cliffs out they saw the Fallen had assemble around one hundred foot soldiers, plus a few skiffs for air support. Because of the Numbers the guardians decided to send for reinforcements, and wait for the attack to commence so the Fallen will have to fight on two sides.

As they waited Kelly, and Bitsine were conversating with some of the other guardians. They were trading stories of their previous missions, experiences, ext. While they talked Pekis was sitting against a large rock as his ghost opened a comm link. "It's been pretty dull on my end. We're still waiting of the House of Winter to attack. How's your mission been going?"

Crux, who was happy to call him now that weren't any hostiles around, responded. "Pretty good so far. We manage to get inside the archives, although the Fallen didn't make it easy. Ellie working on the main computer right now."

"Huh. well lucky you. So what's that place like anyway?"

Crux chuckled "It's cold, dark, and have every piece information the Ishtar academy ever collected. Ellie practically jumped at the chance to find this place."

Pekis laughed in response "I know what that's like. After we stopped the Hive's ritual on Luna, Kelly was too stubborn to leave without the World's Grave database." He could hear Crux laughing on the other end. "I guess those two have a lot in common."

"You got that right. It's good to- Oh Shit!"

Pekis was concerned for his fellow hunter "What happening!?"

"The lights just went out!"

A few moments later Pekis could hear another voice speak over the comm. "Dr. Shim! Security breach detected! Intruders. Initiate Protocol 19."

Crux cocked his gun "Crap! the Fallen are here! Got to go!"

"Good luck." Crux then cut the transmission, leaving Pekis to turn his attention back to his mission. He walked over to his teammates who were also done with their conversation. "Anything new about the Fallen."

They turned to see him "They've been getting more restless." Kelly replied "I think it's only a matter of time before they attack."

Pekis was relieved that they were going to get some action. "Good. I been getting bored sitting around."

"Me too." Bitsine punched the palm of her hand. "I can't wait to crack some four eyed skulls." Bitsine looked at Pekis "I don't mean you by the way"

"I know." Pekis looked around seeing the other fire teams getting ready for a fight. "I gonna go scope out the Fallen, and see what they're up to."

"Alright, we'll be here." Pekis took his leave, and made his way to the canyon exit. The hunter stayed down behind cover while he used his wire rifle to spy on them from a distance. Through his scope Pekis could see a trio of captains standing on top of some ruins overlooking the crowd of Fallen surrounding them.

One of the captains, probably the leader of the three, was giving a speech to his minions. "Fellow Eliksni! In recent days the ghouls of the corrupt human civilization have dared challenged our hold on this planet. They destroy our servitors, slaughter our brothers and sisters, deny us the resources we need to survive." The captain voice was authoritative, angry, and was stirring up the Fallen crowd.

"Their depravity continues to inflict pain on all those who cross paths with them. Even the one chosen by the Great Machine himself has been corrupted by their lies." The Fallen crowd began chatting with each other at the mention of the hunter. Apparently Pekis was more infamous that he realized. "Yes, The first one of us to be granted the Great Machine's power since Chelchis himself has turned against us." At this point Pekis was itching to put a hole in the captain's head.

"But no longer! On this day we shall take the technology of the machine that continue to spread. We will use their weapons to crush the ghouls who threaten us, House Kings who dared invade our territory, and reclaim the Great Machine! House Winter will stand above all who challenge us!" The Fallen all roared in a united cheer for victory.

At the end of the speech Pekis had one thing on his mind. "Ghost, do you have any information on Chelchis?"

"Not much." the ghost answered on the comm. "All I know is that he was a Fallen Kell who lived centuries ago."

"Centuries? He must have been quite the Kell." Pekis was unaware of the guardians that were sneaking behind him. He felt a hand on his back, and turned around with his shock pistol ready. He lowered his pistol upon seeing it was his team and the other fire teams. "Jeez Kelly! Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry." She said apologetically. "We heard the Fallen making a lot of noise so we came to see what was going on."

Pekis turned back to the scene "One of the captains was giving a rally speech. The noise you heard was it being successful." The guardians all turned their attention to the mobilizing Fallen. One of the captains jump off the ruin, and began leading the crowd to the Vex. The second transmated into one of the skiffs as they began to take off. The last one that gave the speech followed the crowd, cloaked, in the back while flanked by two vandals.

"Finally! they're on the move." Bitsine said happy they were going to do something.

Pekis switched to his Calling rifle "Get ready to move." The other fire teams readied their weapons as Kelly prepared her SUROS Regime, and Bitsine her Warpath.

On the Fallen's side, The captain leading the Fallen set his sight on the dozens of Vex they were suppose to fight. He raised his shrapnel launcher in the air before yelling "Charge!" One cue the Fallen mob ran weapons in hand with the rear captain staying back to watch the events unfold. The Vex responded with slap, and line rifle fire with Minotaurs launching hails of void bombs. The incoming artillery forced the Fallen ranks to scatter as over a dozen of their numbers were killed.

The sounds of war was the signal for the guardians to make their move. Simultaneously, they stormed the raging battlefield with Burning Light leading the group. After reaching the the rear of the Fallen lines Pekis opened up by activating his golden gun sending scorching bullets into his enemies. The other two hunters followed his example also firing their supers.

Bitsine decided it be best to target the Fallen's air support, so she got on one knee, and took aim. Getting a lock on she fired sending a explosive packed missile into the air, nailing one of the skiffs in the side putting a large hole in it. Bitsine continued to repeat the process while the ground war around her continued. With the guardian's attack begun the Fallen were now fighting a two front war just as they planned, unfortunately the Fallen had planned ahead for this.

Watching from a safe the cloaked captain, and his two vandals were overlooking the battle from on top a large rock column. Seeing the guardians make their move put a devilish grin behind his mask. "Just as I anticipated." He pressed his comm piece on the side of his helmet "Proceed."

The skiff captain acknowledge her counter part, and sent a message to two other skiffs they had waiting far away. As the battle raged, with the Fallen starting to feel squeezed, Bitsine had just shot down her first skiff when she heard a loud sound approaching their position. A warlock, and hunter were sniping Vex Hobgoblins next to her when they also heard the noise. The three ceased fire to out toward the ocean, and saw two skiff coming at high speeds. As they got closer the guardians could see there was something attached to the underside of both ships.

Bitsine started to run, finally realizing what they were. "WALKERS! ITS A TRAP!" Just as she said the two skiffs hovering over the ground dropped two Fallen walker tanks. Two dozen Fallen shanks followed while the tanks begun stretching their legs upon activation.

Hearing the titan's warning, Pekis, and Kelly turned back to back her up while the others focused on the Fallen, and Vex on the front. The walkers launched two salvos of tracking arc missiles from the launchers mounted on their main guns. The guardians scattered to evade getting hit as they also dodged fire from the shanks. Bitsine reloaded her Warpath, and fired at the launchers to disable them.

Pekis switched to his minigun, targeting the shanks and shooting them out of the sky. He then aimed for the Walker's legs, tearing their armor to shreds. Kelly jumped into the air firing a nova bomb at the closest walker prompting the second warlock to fire his at the other. Both bomb exploded turning into vortexes of energy searing the armor, but leaving the tank hulls mainly intacted.

In retaliation the walkers fired their miniguns at one of the warlocks. Before he could get to adequate cover the warlock was hit with blitz of gunfire, tearing through his shields, and him. His body hit the floor dead causing his ghost to appear to keep him available for revive. The hunter seeing his partner down, ran over to bring him back, but sadly the walkers were programmed to calculate this possibility.

Just as the hunter was about begin the revival process one of the walkers took aim with its main gun. Pekis saw the tank taking aim "GET OUT OF THEIR! RUN!" His warning came to late as the walker fire its shell. The explosion killed the hunter, and destroyed the warlock's ghost ensuring that he was permanently dead. Pekis stood shocked at the aftermath, and saw that the hunter's ghost had appeared. Not wanting to waste he rushed over to the ghost while the cloaked captain watched with amusement. Before he could get close enough the second walker fired another shell at the ghost. The ghost was destroyed on impact while Pekis was just close enough to the blast to get sent flying backwards into a boulder.

Seeing Pekis down, the captain turned to his guards "Get down there. Finish that traitor!" The vandals understood jumping down from the column, and ran through the battlefield to reach their target. Pekis was stunned by the impact as he tried to get back up. He managed to get up stand on one knee when he heard a pair a footsteps approach him. Looking up the hunter saw a pair of vandals aiming their shock rifles at him. just as they were about to pull the trigger one of them was cut down by Kelly's rifle. With the second vandal shock by his comrade's demise, Pekis put out his shock knife, tackled the vandal to the ground, and impaled him in his neck.

Kelly ran up to him "Are you Okay!?"

Pekis stood back up to look at her "Yeah, I'm okay!" the hunter over to the walkers who were engaged with the other guardians. "Those things got two of us!" His voice was filled with anger. Pekis formed a solar grenade in his hand "Let's end this!" He threw the grenade at the walkers where it land next to one of their damaged legs. It exploded causing critical damage to the walker, forcing it to temporally deactivate, and expose its core to cool down. "HEY BITSINE! THE CORE!"

Bitsine understood what he was saying "GOT IT!" She put her launcher away, and rushed the tank. Jumping into the air The titan focused her light into one of her hands, pulled her fist back, and extended it sending her flying like a bullet to the core. The engine was crushed under her power, avenging the fallen guardians. With only one walker remaining the fire team focused all their fire power on it, ending it in no time flat.

With the threat over, Burning Light made their way back to the front lines where the other four remaining guardians were decimating the Fallen, and Vex armies. As the guardians were gaining ground, the Vex made a call to replenish their numbers. Multiple fogs appeared Followed by blue lights caused Pekis' ghost to detect something. "I'm picking up a large Vex signature incoming!"

On cue, dozens of new Vex appeared, and in the center of their ranks a large Vex cyclops appeared on top of a ruined pedestal. The cyclops stood tall above the Vex around it. With its twin antenna like horns on its sides, and main battery gun ready to fire the cyclops looked like it was going to prove to be a serious problem.

Even with the Fallen's trap having successfully killed two guardians their chances for victory continued to drop. The captain in charge radio to all his soldiers "Retreat! We must regroup for a counter attack!" In response to the order the remaining Fallen fled the battle, transmating to their ships, leaving the guardians to fight the Vex.

Pekis exchanged shots with hobgoblins using his wire rifle while the other guardians dealt with the encroaching hoard. Bitsine blasted away Vex stupid enough to get close with her Crash with Kelly, and her Frenzy working over minotaurs. The rest of the guardians advanced with a combination of rifle, and machine gun fire as the cyclops began charging its cannon. After picking a target the Vex construct fired its payload sending a high speed void round through the air.

Seeing the incoming threat the guardians took evasive action. While the blast hadn't killed any one it had blown a few guardians away. "Okay now that thing is annoying!" Bitsine got back up off the ground, directing her attention to the cause of her headache. Shell after shell impacted the thinking flesh of the cyclops doing little damage.

The titan's effort drew the cyclops' attention making it prepare another shot. Taking notice of Bitsine situation Kelly helped by sending balls of arc fire to try to get the Construct's attention. Other guardians followed their example and now surrounded the Vex, hitting it on all sides. Unable to pick a target, and no other Vex around to help the cyclops was helpless against the onslaught. Eventually the damage done to the Vex caused it to slowly deactivate, making its large, one eyed body drop to the ground, its chassis burnt, and filled with bullets.

The remaining Vex realized their chances of victory were none, so they too fled leaving the guardians mission successful. They all took a breath to let their win sink in. "Wow. We fucking did it." Kelly said with relief. The guardians regroup with their fire teams "Are you two okay?"

Pekis was the first to respond "A little sore from hitting that rock, but other than that I'm good." Looking around he saw a titan looking around for his teammates, but to no avail. "But others...not so much." grimly he said.

He friends saw who he was looking at with sympathetic looks. "So uh, who's going to tell him?" Bitsine asked.

"I don't think I should do it." Pekis believed the last person the titian should hear it from is a Fallen. Which honestly is understandable.

Seeing her fellow titan search caused Bitsine to make up her mind. "I do it." She walked away to deliver the bad news.

Kelly gripped her arm in sorrow "Its so sad to see something like that happen." Her voice was gripped in sadness.

"Yeah. I don't even want to know what that feels like." Pekis looked at the warlock seeing her depressed state. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

The motion worked causing her to cheer up. Kelly placed her hand on top of his "Thank you."

The hunter smiled behind his mask "No problem." Turning his head he saw Bitsine talking to the titian, who was not taking the news well. He dropped to his knees, taking his helmet off to grieve.

Bitsine saw that he need time alone, and left him. "That Gate Lord better be worth the price we pay." Bitsine was clearly angry as she made her way back to her fire team. "So now what?"

Pekis pulled his arm away before answering "According to the map Vex presence beyond here is pretty mild. It should only be a short, simply drive to Campus 9."

"Good." Bitsine said calming down. "Lets get this search over with."

Before that could take their leave their ghosts appeared to stop them. "Wait." Kelly's ghost spoke.

"What is it?" Kelly asked.

Pekis' ghost responded "Before we leave, can you pull out the cyclops' mind core?"

The trio of guardians were both disturbed, and slightly disgusted at the idea. "Uh...Pull out a Vex's brain? Why?"

Bitsine's ghost floated in front of her "The cyclops is an important part of the Vex network. If its mind core is intact we can use it to locate a Gate Lord." What the ghosts were asking was entirely possible. Contrary to popular belief, Vex cyclopes were more than just gun platforms. Some evidence suggests that the they are in fact enormous sensors, or beacons. Although their mind cores are vast, what they sense remains unknown. They could play a role in the Vex networked intelligence, or in navigation across space and time.

They guardians all looked to each other. With no better ideas they made their way over to the shell of the cyclops. Pekis, and Bitsine both grabbed a piece of loose metal plating, pulling on it. As they did this, In the background they could hear the titan punching the ground while cursing at his friend's deaths.


	16. Chapter 16

20 Minutes Later Venus, Ishtar Sink

With their numbers depleted, the fallen had retreated back to their skiffs. In spite of their plan having been able to kill to guardians, It had been largely a failure. A very costly failure at that. The loss of two walkers was a great blow to the House of Winter's arsenal.

The head Captain sat in his ship, contemplating the situation they were now in. His fellow captains, who also escaped, were sitting in their respective ships on an open comm channel as they tried to discuss what their next move is. "This cannot be all we have to show for it! We wasted to many soldiers, and resources!" The skiff captain said outraged.

"We don't need you to tell us that!" retorted the captain who lead the charge. "Clearly we've underestimated the guardians capabilities! Now what are we suppose to say when we return to Lord Draksis?"

"Your asking ME!? All I can tell you is what he'll do to us when he learns of this blunder!" The other captain quivered at the thought. Everyone of House Winter knew that Draksis was not one for taking failures of such an extent well. He was even known to be just a cruel as the late Devil Kell, Solkis. They all knew that they must come back a champions, lest they wish to experience a slow tragic death.

The lead captain twiddled his thumbs as he listen to his housemates go back and forth in their argument. Minutes passed, the captain could only come up with one answer for their problem. "Shut up!" The fight ceased in its tracks, leaving the two opposing captains silent. Getting up, he walked over to the Ship's pilot "Were is that houseless now!?"

The pilot, who was slightly frightened by the tone of his voice, check his scanners. After reading the data, he turned back to his commander "He is apparently on the move again. They're two others that are with him."

"Lock onto his coordinates..." he slammed his fist "Now!"

The pilot complied quickly for his own sake. The two other captains were dumbfounded by the instruction "What are you thinking!?"

"The only thing we can do!" the leader Countered "Returning as we are will ensure our demise, so we will hunt down, and kill this houseless! Then we'll drag his body to lord Draksis, and become champions!"

The captains understood his logic. To be the ones who kill Pekis would not only make up for their losses, but would also make them legends. The captains were doubtful about their chances, but reluctantly agreed.

_ 5 Minutes earlier

Pekis, and Bitsine spent the last fifteen minutes prying their way into the cyclops corpse. Scrape metal, and wiring were scattered on the ground around them, while the other guardians stood watch. Pekis pulled out another set of wires which revealed their prized. A grey container with a few glass components revealing the Vex radiolaria inside. "Is that it?" Bitsine asked her ghost.

Her ghost scanned the core "Yup, this is it."

Pekis let out a sigh of relief "Finally."

Bitsine's ghost fired several blue beams at the core, disconnecting it from the body. "Got it. Lets go find that research station."

The two guardians walked over to their warlock, who could hear their footsteps behind them. Kelly turned around to see Bitsine gripping the mine core in her hand. "so I take it we got what we want?"

Bitsine lifted the core up "Yup, one Vex brain." Holding it in her hand, the titan shook the container hearing the radiolaria inside swish around in it. It still surprised her that the Vex were actually just fluid in jars.

"Fifteen minutes of pulling apart metal, and we got a fluid case. Better be worth it." Pekis said.

"I sure it will be" His ghost replied. "Although I wish you check with me before making insane promises."

Pekis scoffed "If you got a better Idea, I'm all ears." The hunter's ghost remained silent "Okay then, lets go."

The guardian summoned their vehicles to begin their journey. Before mounting, they were approached by the other four guardians. The warlock of the group spoke up "Your leaving now?"

Kelly was the first to respond "Yes, we have our own mission to complete."

A hunter was the next to talk "Do you think we could help? Extra guns could always useful especially when your going deeper into the ruins."

Burning Light thought about their offer seriously. They were going to be heading into a Vex stronghold, so it might be best to have greater numbers with them. But they thought again about their responsibility. Finding the Black Garden was entrusted to them. It was their mission, their responsibility, and asking for other to risk their lives for them was out of the question.

Pekis took one last look at the lone titan who lost his two closest friends. The pain he was feeling was still there. 'No, they've been through enough.'

Pekis shook his head "Thanks, but no. You've done enough for now. We'll take it from here."

The other guardians all looked at each other. In a few moments they decided respect their decision. Burning Light were grateful for them to help them as much as they have. They bid them farewell before mounting their rides. The trio took off with Pekis leading them on his pike, heading to Campus 9.

The fire team passed though small canyon exiting the Ishtar Cliffs, and leading to Waking Ruins. Making their way out they were greeted by a most curious sight. Vex ruins littered the ground, and were engraved into the mountain side. They slowed their speed down as they looked around realizing this place belong to the Vex. Looking up, Pekis saw a Large circular Vex doorway built into the mountain. "What is that?" He asked.

"No one's sure." Kelly answered equally curious "Most scholars believe that door leads to a dimension the Vex have complete control over."

"Wow." Bitsine was amazed by that "Even I got to admit that's kinda cool. Scary, but even so that's impressive."

The coordinates lead the guardians to a small cave built by the Vex. They dismounted their vehicles to proceed on foot. While walking Pekis couldn't help, but still thing about the door. "Hey Kelly. Has any ever been inside that door?"

"Actually yes. There were rumors of a fire team managing to get inside, but only one came out. After he did he didn't talk about it with anyone."

Kelly's words unnerved the hunter, but couldn't help but asked one last question. "What was his name?"

"Pahanin. He was a hunter like you."

Pekis nodded in response. He made a mental note to ask Cayde about him when he can. Since he was the hunter vanguard, he was bound to have records.

Soon they reached the other end of the cave. Stepping outside the were surrounded by the remains of a research outpost. The remnants were overgrown with plant life, and were in a state of decay. "This is it. Campus 9." Pekis' ghost declared.

Looking around, Kelly spotted the main research building. Alerting her friends, they hiked down slope, and walked inside. The building had mostly been empty apart from some growing plants, and leftover computer equipment. The ghosts materialized, each of them scanning the computers looking for one still operable to scan the mind core.

Waiting for their ghosts, the guardians looked out the large open windows, taking in the view of nature replacing civilization. Their focus was cut short by an announcement "I found one!"

Everyone in the room turned to the source. Pekis' ghost was scanning a device as the guardians surrounded him. "This one works?" Pekis looked over the aged machine which began to spring to life.

"Yup," Lights flickered, images of the Vex appeared on the screen, mechanical noises emanated from the inside indicating the computer worked. "Its data banks have juicy info on the Vex, and" A slot opened "It has a scanning function."

Seeing the opening, Bitsine took out the mind core, and placed it inside. "Okay, now I'll see what the researchers discovered, and use the mind core to find a Gate Lord. It may take me a while."

"Alright then. What should we do in the mean time?" Bitsine asked her teammates. Sadly Something else answered for the guardians.

The sounds of ships nearing them fill the air. Looking outside, Burning Light focused their gaze on the skiffs in the sky. "The House of Winter again." Kelly said equipping her Culling.

"Guess their looking for round two." Bitsine gripped her Dealbreaker in the hand.

Pekis revealed his Lord of Wolves, its fire burning out from its barrel, catching the eyes of the warlock, and titan. "That alright. If they feel like dying today, we can help them with that."

"With that thing, we defiantly can." Bitsine was slightly jealous of Pekis' surprising new weapon.

Pekis turned to his ghost "We'll hold them off. you keep doing what your doing." His ghost understood, and continued working on the core. All the while hoping the hunter would not get killed when they weren't together.

The guardians rushed outside weapons in hand, ready to fight whatever came their way. At the same time, Several Fallen Skiffs hovered above the area, dropping dozens of foot solders. The Fallen eager to collect their target to ensure their survival. Taking defensive positions, the fire team opened fire on the incoming Fallen.

The Winter soldiers took cover behind various objects as they returned fire. Vandals armed with shock swords darted for the trio, with Pekis being their priority. Seeing the threat, the hunter prepared his shotgun, firing a burst of hot metal at the first one. The shots burned through the armor, entering the Fallen's body, roasting him from the inside out.

The vandal fell down dead, his comrades charging over his body, ignoring him. The second got within striking distance, swinging her swords, intending to decapitate the hunter. Pekis simply leaned back avoiding the blades, then swept the vandals legs, causing her to fall on her side. The third repeated the process attempting to cut off Pekis' head, only for him to retract his head, and then bring it forward delivering a severe head butt to the vandal's face. A bone cracking sound could be heard has the vandal fell backwards, leaving him vulnerable for Pekis finish them both off with a single burst.

Bitsine, and Kelly continued to provided covering fire, while Pekis reloaded his Lord of Wolves. Seeing no more swordsmen coming, Pekis moved up dodging shock grenades, and arc bullets alike. Moving across the battlefield, the hunter flanked the Fallen in their cover, pushing them back. His teammates followed behind him, shooting Fallen as they tried to back away from the guardians.

The trio of Captains monitored the situation from their ships. Watching their forces being defeated made the leader contact the others. "I'm tired of this! We are going down their NOW!"

The other two captains were reluctant to do so, but knew it was their only chance at this point. All three dropped from their skiffs armed to the teeth. Nearby they could see the one they were their for massacring the squads of dregs, and vandals. They activated their cloaking devices, and moved in for the kill.

Kelly finished off the last dreg with machine gun fire giving the area around the appearance of being safe for them. Hearing the skiffs take off gave the guardians a sense of victory. With the threat seemingly gone, the guardians regrouped. "I don't think they'll be bothering us again for a while." Pekis said happy to see the Fallen on the run.

Bitsine fired a few rounds into the air to celebrate. "Damn right they won't!"

Before Kelly could say anything, Pekis' ghost radioed them. "I finished scanning the mind core. Gate Lords protect realms the Vex keep locked out of time. The Vex network spreads across the mantle of the entire planet."

The wealth of information was indeed very interesting for the guardians, but their was something specific they needed. "Is there anything help us fin-" Kelly stopped speaking when see saw something. Kelly could see the air behind Pekis shimmer. Looking to the ground, she saw the grass being crushed underneath something. Kelly realized they weren't alone yet "BEHIND YOU!" The warlock fired her Culling, its bullets bouncing off a shielded figure. The cloak deactivated, revealing it to be a Fallen captain.

Pekis' reflexes kick in, causing him turn on his heel to face the Captain. Before he could level his gun, the hunter was tackled to the ground, knocking his firearm out of his hand. The Exo trying to pull the Captain off he Eliksni, but was stopped by shrapnel launcher fire. A second, and third Captain revealed themselves, keeping the two standing guardians busy.

While Kelly, and Bitsine were dealing with their captains, Pekis was having trouble getting his off him. The Fallen had him pinned, wrapping a pair of hands around his throat attempting to strangle him. The hunter struggled to break free from his predicament, trying to pry the hands off his throat, and free his lower arms that were being held down by the captain's.

Pekis began to have some success, only for the captain to respond violently. "Die housless! Die!" He lifted the hunter's head up, and rammed it back down. Pekis' helmet managed to protect him, but the impact still disoriented him.

Kelly, and Bitsine were currently unable to help him as they were still engaged. Bitsine fired assault rifle rounds, while receiving shock rifle fire from her opponent. When her rifle finally clicked she place it on her back, and charged her fists with arc energy. She charge the captain, her shields protecting her from incoming projectiles, until she got within striking distance. "How does this feel!?" The first punch went straight for the captain's face, sending currents of electricity through her body. Recovering from the shock, She was unable to defended herself from the series of blows that followed.

Kelly was having trouble on her side. Her captain came at her close armed with shock swords. The warlock repeatedly dodged the incoming blades, unable to get enough distance to use her machine gun. Tired, and angry, Kelly focused her light into her hand, forming flames around it. She extended her hand out, unleashing a burst of solar energy at the captain. Sadly, the captain's shielding protected him, and gave him an opportunity. With her guard down, Kelly was unable to avoid to incoming sword in time. The blade pierced her chest, and kept her still for a second to pass through her heart. Soon, her body slowly slide off the blades, leaving stains of blood on the metal. She fell down dead, unmoving, and gave the captain a false sense of safety.

Seeing his enemy dead made the captain let out a victorious roar. He look back at his adversary, and was surprised to see the warlock's ghost out. Examining the ghost, the captain couldn't help but ask "Does this mean I am worthy!?" He was hoping he had just prove his worth to the Great Machine.

The ghost simply stared at him before responding in his native language. "Of course not. Why would it?"

The captain was about to respond when suddenly Kelly's body had spontaneously combusted. The heat radiating off her body forced the captain to take a few steps back. Now alive through the power of the Sunsinger, the warlock got back up seriously pissed. Seeing the captain, who was now shivering in fear, Kelly let loose two columns of fire from her hands. Unable to get away in time, The captain howled in pain as the flames burned through his armor, frying him to a crisp.

At the same time, Bitsine had put an end to her battle. With one last furious hit, the exo send a final jolt of electricity straight into the captain heart. The shock short circuited the heart's nerves, stopping it from pumping. The captain fell back, feeling her heart stop, until her eyes finally turned black.

Their enemies dead, the Exo, and human rushed to help to last member of their team. Upon arriving on scene, they witness the lead captain standing over Pekis' limp body. He turned around, armed with swords, ready to face the guardians. "I killed this houseless! Now I'll do the same to you!" The captain was feeling a great amount of pride at his accomplishment. When he brings Pekis' body to Draksis, he was going to be greatly rewarded. To bad that wasn't going to happen.

As they aimed their weapons, the guardians saw Pekis' ghost appear next to him. The ghost expanded his body preparing for a revive. The two guardians smirked behind their helmets "You might wanna double check." Bitsine said.

Just as he was about to turn around, the ghost flashed a blinding light, bringing the hunter back to life. The light faded, revealing the Eliksni up and about. Before the captain could react, Pekis activated his golden gun, taking the captain's head off in one shot. "How's that for killing!?" Pekis said deactivating his super.

Pekis took off his helmet, and mask to taking in the fresh air. "being strangled to death is not pleasant." He said between breaths.

"can't be much worse than getting stabbed in the heart." Kelly rubbed her chest remembering the pain she felt.

"Good thing I finished scanning the core when I did." Pekis' ghost said relieved he got to him in time. "You really need to be more careful."

"Tell that to that guy." Pekis pointed to the dead captain, ether slowly exiting out his neck hole.

"Right. Well then I finished with the mind core. Use the information stored in it, and combining it with the conflux data we collected last week, I think we'll be able to find, and lure out a gate lord."

Hearing that news made the guardians happy they didn't go through all that for nothing.


	17. Chapter 17

Venus, Ishtar Sink, Ishtar Archives

Since their call had ended, things in the Ishtar Archives have gotten quieter. The Fallen that managed to break into the archives were thoroughly dealt with. Crux, and Avez were finishing off the remaining dregs at the entrance while Ellie was dealing with the baron in charge by the main computer.

Grayliks was severely wounded with his back against the wall. Ellie look at the defenseless Fallen in front of her, seeing the hate the was still burning in his eyes. In his final moments there was only one thing he managed to say "Damn human! House Winter will have its victory!"

Ellie took aim with her Assembly II auto fire "Not today." She pulled the trigger, firing a single shot that penetrated Grayliks' skull. His blood splattered on the wall behind him before slowly sliding down to the floor.

Seeing the Fallen's eyes turn black, Ellie turned around to find her teammates. Before she got far, Crux, and Avez walked back over to her. "I don't think the Fallen will be back anytime soon." Crux said joyfully, showing off his Strange Suspect scout rifle.

Avez nodded in agreement, putting his Hex Caster Arc auto rifle away. "Even so, I would like to get what we came for, and lock this place behind us." The Awoken was not interested in having to defend the Archive a second time.

"Agreed." Ellie held out her hand to summon her ghost. "ghost can please finish with the computer?"

"you got it guardian." The ghost flew over to the main computer to restart to extraction sequence. In moments the lights in the archives began to light up once more.

"finally!" Ellie to glad to be able to clearly now. During the fight she wounded up tripping over something on the floor. She was glad that the only people who saw that embarrassing moment were now dead.

Crux on the other hand was not as grateful. "Aw, man. I liked fighting in the dark."

"Why?" Avez couldn't help but ask.

"I like using the Fallen glowing eyes as target practice."

Ellie's ghost returned to her with a new wealth of information. "This archive is amazing." her ghost said with awe. "Pathways to other galaxies, mapping of a Vex underworld, and some place called the Vault of Glass. The Cryptarch will want to know about this."

"So will the warlock order." Ellie smiled at the data they had just collected. Now her, and Kelly were even in terms of data collection, more or less. "Okay lets get back to the surface." Ellie began walking back outside with her friends following behind.

"Boy, I can't wait to tell Pekis about this." Crux was hopping to finish their conversation back at the tower. He leaded over to the titan next to him "And from what he told me, Ellie, and Kelly should start a study group together."

Crux actually managed to get a small chuckle from Avez with that. Their moment of hunter, titan bonding was cut short when Ellie took off her helmet, and looked behind her, giving the two a serious look. Crux stepped behind Avez for cover. "I didn't hear or say anything." Crux said defending him self.

"I suggest you keep your jokes to yourself Crux." Ellie put her helmet back on, and resumed walking.

The exo, and awoken soon followed after some hesitation. On the way back up the stairs, Crux couldn't help, but think 'Jeez, women. And Pekis has two on his fire team. I wonder how he does it?'

_ Meanwhile Ishtar Cliffs

"You three done yet?" Bitsine was starting to get fidgety. Waiting around in the field while the trio of ghosts worked was not sitting well with her.

Her ghost focused his attention away from work to answer her. "Almost. Just wait a few more minutes." Bitsine's ghost knew well enough that she was not built for doing nothing.

Back at Campus 9, the guardians' ghosts had spent some time going over the conflux data. They were able to use it to make a map of the entire Vex network on venus. Combining that with the information the mind core had given them, they narrowed down a gate lord's position.

The guardians waited patiently for their partners to finish. Well mostly Pekis, and Kelly considering Bitsine was pacing back a forth. She needed a outlet for her energy, and combat was always the best one for her.

Pekis was starting to get worried for the exo. "Bitsine will you calm down. We're going to be killing a giant Vex in a little while."

Bitsine stopped pacing "Yeah, yeah, I know. Its just that fighting that captain got my fluids pumping, and I don't want to stop cold turkey already."

"Ohh, so your in the middle of an exo's equivalent adrenaline rush." Kelly theorized. "Maybe coming down from it might be a good for you."

"Says you." The titan retorted. "What I need is to beat some robot heads in." Punched her palm for emphasis.

"What? You mean beating a Fallen captain to death wasn't enough." Kelly pointed her thumb towards the dead Fallen Bitsine was responsible for.

"Not exactly." Bitsine was starting to feel her personal life being pried into. "you know, why don't you go read another book."

"Well excuse me if I have other hobbies!" Kelly snapped. "Maybe you could do with one yourself!" The tension between the two reached a new level.

At the same time, the ghost finished what they were doing, but stayed quiet as the scene played out. Even Pekis started getting scared. He knew them both well enough to know how feisty they can become, and now they were focusing on each other. It would be luck they didn't try their supers out on each other.

"Should we do something?" He whispered to the ghosts, not wanting the girls to hear him.

The ghosts simply stared at the hunter in stunned silence. Kelly's ghost was the one to break the silence "Are you nuts!? With the way Kelly is right now, the best thing to do is to stay out of it."

Bitsine's ghost agreed "That's right. If we get involved, we'll just get in the way."

Pekis cursed, and backed away to get some distance between himself, and the brewing situation. The titan, and warlock continued to glare at each, insults being tossed back in forth. "Oh yeah! Why don't you go back to the library, and leave the field work for seasoned soldiers!" Bitsine pounded her chest.

"Excuse me?! Last I checked I've been in plenty of dangerous combat situations, and I helped with plenty of critical missions! How exactly are you the experienced soldier of the two us!?"

"Because I was U.S. soldier during the Golden Age, knee deep in shit on Venus, while you were busy helping shuttles find their parking space!"

"At least I had a life that was more than just being waist deep in corpses! Plus I was going begin a new life with someone, while you were probably going to die alone!" Kelly had just pushed the argument to a new level.

Bitsine felt her anger start to burn. She was considering using Kelly as her punching bag for the next few minutes. "YOU MEAN THAT GERMAN FUCK WHO'S DEAD NOW!" Kelly began focusing large amounts of void energy in her hands.

It seemed that a death match was inevitable at this point. The escalating argument, almost turned fight, ended when two blue bolts sped by their heads. Thinking they were under attack, the two quarreling guardians grabbed their weapons again, turning towards the direction to shots came from. They had expected to see another member of the House of Winter trying to kill them, but were bewildered to see the only Fallen in their view was the hunter of their group.

Pekis stood several yards away, his duel shock pistols in hand with smoke coming out the barrels, indicating they had been fired. The ghost switched their gazes back, and forth between the three, relived that revives didn't seem to be needed anytime soon. Seeing it was their companion caused the two to lower their guns confused.

Bitsine was the first to talk "Pekis, what the-"

"ENOUGH! Both of you! Your taking this too far, and we have a mission to complete!" Pekis had enough of this. He wasn't going to let them kill each other over something so trivial.

The human, and exo looked at each other then back at Pekis. Pekis holstered his pistols, giving the two of them serious looks. The sight of the Eliksni staring them down did something to them. They felt their anger simmer down. The rage they were feeling for each other dissipated as Pekis' words rang through their heads.

He was right. Now was not the time to be fighting with each other. They had more important matters to deal with, and they couldn't let their personal problems get in the way. Most importantly of all, there was no reason to for them to risk their friendship over something like that.

The two females glanced at each other with guilty faces. They felt embarrassed, and ashamed for they tried to do, and the things they said.

Pekis made a sigh of relief, glad it was over. With that done, the hunter returned is attention to the ghosts, who held their breaths the entire time. "Have you three finished yet?"

The ghosts felt a wave solace wash over them. They each returned to their respective guardians. "Yes, we have." Pekis' ghost announced. "The more we learn about the Vex, the more I see why our Exo friend is so worried about them."

"How so?" Kelly asked, the intense emotions from earlier gone, for which she was thankful for.

Kelly's ghost answered her "During the Collapse, they transformed Mercury into a machine in days. They would have spread to every planet if the Traveler hadn't stopped them."

"Wait a minute. So the Vex transformed Mercury **during** the Collapse? Not after?" Pekis was surprised by this revelation. He would have thought it would take years to do something like that. Even for the Vex.

"Yup."

"How could they do that?" Bitsine asked. "They've been on Venus for billions of years, and it's not a machine yet."

"My best guess. When the Darkness came, it destroyed every piece of resistance that was there at the time. This gave the Vex a perfect chance to move to Mercury, and with nothing to get in their way they pump the planet full of radiolaria, and that turned the minerals into Vex tech." The ghost's hypothetical explanation was simple enough for everyone to understand. "As for why they haven't done it to Venus by now, I don't know."

"Well, we can figure that out some other time." Pekis wanted to get back on track. "Ghost, can you tell us were to look."

"Yes, we have to head to a place called the Endless Steps. There's a path nearby you can use. We'll send you the coordinates." Hearing that, the guardians put their helmets back on, and proceeded to follow their waypoints.

Beginning their search, they left the campus perimeter, and begun traveling down a small slope. On the way, their was something eating away at the warlock. Gripping her Chosen sniper rifle, she couldn't stop thinking about how Pekis was like. The way he glared at them after firing his guns at them to get them to stop. His face was grim, his eyes were cold, and solemn. Almost like the other Fallen they had faced so many times before (although he didn't have the same blood thirsty look).

Kelly felt that she needed to speak with him. She sped up to catch up with him as he lead the trio. Walking up next to him, she looked at his two left eyes that turned to look in her direction. "What is it?" the hunter said emotionlessly.

The tone of his voice made her irresolute, but in the end she progressed. "Pekis, about what happened."

The mention of that recent event made anger inflame within him. He was not in a talking mood right now, and would prefer to focus on the task at hand. "We'll talk about it later." Pekis said with anger now present in his voice. Kelly was slightly startled the way he spoke, and slowly backed off. Before she got too far, Pekis addressed her once more "And Kelly."

"Yes?"

Pekis took a deep breath before finishing. "I expected better from you."

His words stung her hard. She felt immense shame for letting him down like that. In the end she couldn't blame him. They were suppose to be a team, and yet the things she said to Bitsine were inexcusable. She could only hope Bitsine had it in her to forgive her.

The warlock's thinking ending by the sound of incoming Slap Rifle fire. Reds bolts flew right past the guardians, forcing them to take cover. Looking out ahead of them, several Vex goblins could be seen walking out from a large Vex gate way. "What is that!?" Bitsine asked returning fire at the goblins.

Her ghost answered her "Vex transfer gates. They'll keep spitting Vex out unless you can shut them down.

The fire team first had to deal with the goblins that were marching towards their position. Bitsine kept the closest Vex at bay using her Crash shotgun, blasting the nearby robots to shreds with each shell. Pekis, armed with his Calling rifle, focused fire on the Vex walking out of the gate, all while high velocity, armor piercing sniper rounds zoomed through the air. goblin after Goblin were shot to pieces until they were being gun down at the gate.

As time passed, bullets either punched through, or missed the one eyed machines, hitting the gate they were coming out from. The impact severely damaged the gate causing it to explode, and shut down. Seeing gate get blow to pieces, the guardians lowered their weapons. "Okay, then. So shooting the gates is good enough to shut them down...apparently." Bitsine said reloading her shotgun.

"Well that seems easy enough." Pekis cocked his gun then moved forward. "Lets keep moving." The titan,and warlock followed behind him, weapons ready.

Pressing onward, Burning Light traversed deeper into Vex's territory. The amount of Vex architecture increased dramatically. All along the way the trio continued to encounter more Vex transfer gates. Vex poured out of them, taking defensive positions all along the route, intent on keeping the guardians from encroaching on their territory. hobgoblins sniping at them from afar, Waving of goblins marching to kill them, harpies deployed as attack dogs firing beams of burning energy at their targets.

Despite this, they persevered pushing through enemy lines. Even with a numerical advantage, the Vex were incapable of stopping the light fused warriors. They destroyed every gate they came across, every Vex that stood in their way. Leaving behind a trail of shot up robot bodies, the fire team made their way to their goal.

Finally, they reached the Endless Steps. Looking around, the first thing that caught their attention was the extremely large Vex gate overlooking the entire area. It pulsed with Vex energy, indicating that is was active. "Uh, I take it that's what were looking for." Pekis said taking in the size of it.

"Yes, that is were we'll find the gate lord." the hunter's ghost stated.

The guardians walk to the edge of the cliff, jumped down into a long fall, and used their light to slow their descent to land safely. Their feet hit the ground where several Vex patrols caught them in the act. They were sheep to the slaughter as the guardians decimated them with a combination of weapon's fire, and light. they fought their way up the ruined stairs leading to the gate, goblins, and hobgoblins alike being shot to death on the way.

When the last Vex fell, there was nothing left standing between them, and their goal. The trio approached, the size difference becoming more evident the closer they got. "Alright, so now what?" Bitsine asked.

"Their should be some form of activation device." Kelly answered looking around for what that could be.

"The ring." Pekis ghost caught everyone's attention.

"What ring?" Pekis asked not seeing what he was talking about.

The ghost materialized "The one on the floor." The guardians looked to the ground seeing a metallic circle embedded in it.

Pekis felt dumb for not noticing it sooner. "So how do we use it?"

"I guess you'll have to step inside it."

"That's it?" The sheer simplicity of it seemed unusual for the Vex in Bitsine opinion. "I figured it be more complicated than that."

"I guess not." Pekis said. "lets get this search over with." Pekis was the first to step inside, Kelly second, and Bitsine last. The fire team waited for a bit, then they begun having a effect. A second ring made of white translucent squares rose out of the ground, surrounding them. Shortly afterwards, a loud, low pitch sound came from the gate. From the gate, Black pieces of a large Vex minotaur appeared from thin air.

"Okay, here were go!" Pekis' ghost said.

Bitsine was feeling disappointing "I expected that thing to be at least twice the size!" She readied her Thunderlord, eager to see what this Vex could do.

"At least this way it will be easier to kill!" Kelly replied switching to her SUROS Regime. The gate lord, Zydron began putting itself together, then grabbed its torch hammer in midair.

"Just remember, No head shots or explosives! We need the head intact!" Zydron dropped, shacking the ground on impact. Pekis fired precision shots from his wire rifle, hitting Zydron in its fluid case. Zydron responded by send a volley void bombs from its weapon, scattering the guardians.

Pekis ran back several yards, and jumped on top of a stone like pillar, giving the hunter a good sniper position. Kelly, and bitsine both flanked Zydron on either side, rifle fire echoing through the air. Being closer, the females were able to keep its focus on them, allowing Pekis to continue taking sniper shots undisturbed. Zydron kept switching between targets, but the titian, and warlock too mobile for its torch hammer to be effective against.

Hundreds of bullet cartridges hit their mark, leaving dents on the gate lord's body, and started to fracture the glass of the its fluid case. Zydron could feel its chest about to breach under the stress, so it held out, and raised its hand. This new action confused Burning Light as to why it would stop protecting itself.

The Vex's intent became obvious when several dark clouds appeared. Zydron had sent out call through the Vex network to summons its legions to come to its aid. dozens of Vex Goblins hit the ground, slap rifle prime, and ready.

Kelly, and Bitsine switch their focus to the foot soldiers which surrounded them. Pekis took some slap round to the chest, due to being on an exposed position in a high vantage point. He jumped down, switching to his Lord of Wolves. A goblin march up to him, channeling void energy in its hand, and tried to kill him an void melee. Pekis dodge it, pulled out his shock knife, and stabbed it, piercing its glass case. Radiolaria spilling on the ground, Pekis took aim, blasting away any machine dumb enough to piss him off.

With reinforcements present, Zydron resume its attack, sending void artillery across the battlefield. Explosions erupted around Bitsine, dealing damage to her shields, and throwing her off balance. Eventually her shields broke, her armor the only thing left protecting her from the Vex. In a dire situation, Bitsine popped a Ward of Dawn, making a pinkish, impenetrable barrier around her.

Kelly ran across the field to join Bitsine inside the safe zone. "So how have you been doing?" Kelly asked reloading her gun.

"Pretty good." Bitsine was enthusiastic. "That is one tough son of a bitch."

At the same time, Pekis manage to finish the last of the reinforcements. He switched back to his wire rifle before calling his squad mates. "Hey, do you think you can help me kill that giant bastard?"

Bitsine answered the call "Were on it." She cocked her machine gun, and she, and Kelly rushed outside firing at the gate lord once more. Pekis joined them, firing arc projectiles at the Vex.

Once again alone, Zydron attempt to make another call for help, but Pekis wasn't having any of that. The hunter formed a solar knife in his hand, the flames not doing anything to him. "I'M FUCKING SICK OF THAT!" He threw it, impaling Zydron in its chest. The heat from the blade burned the radiolaria inside, causing it to lose control of the body. Slowly, but surely the mechanics of the Vex began to fail, making it vulnerable.

Kelly, and Bitsine fired a final burst of lead, breaking open the fluid case. Its brain gone, there was nothing left control the gate lord. Zydron fell backwards, landing on some other dead Vex, signifying the fight was over.

The sight of the fallen gate lord was something for them to remember. "YES, how do you that asshole!" Bitsine cheered. The guardians regrouped at the body to get a better look at their prize. "Holy shit, we finally did it!"

"Yes we fucking did!" Pekis kick the body. "You were such a bitch to find!"

 **Pekis P.O.V.**

 **As I looked over the body, I took a moment to reflect on how far we'd come. To think that more than a month ago we were just a trio of rookies getting to know each other, and now we just took an important piece of the Vex Collective Mind off the chest board. It was almost too good to be true. But even so, this hard earned victory couldn't have happened without a cost**

 **I thought back to that titan who was left without his team. It happened because they were trying to help us with our mission, our responsibility. I knew that something like that was inevitable, but to actually see it happen did something to me. The idea of those sacrifices having been for nothing was not acceptable for me.**

 **We were here to find a way into the Black Garden, to destroy its heart, and stop the Darkness return. Failure meant we lose everything, the City, the Traveler...the light. I swore we were going to find that heart, and ripe it the fuck out, even if I had cut it with my knife. But first we had something else do do before we even got close.**

 **P.O.V. End**

Bitsine walked around the debris, getting a better look at the head. Pekis jump on top Zydron's chest get a god look of the front of the head. Kelly joined him, knelling down to examine the head. she could tell it was mostly undamaged, apart from some sparks flying out of it. "Its in good condition. I think this will be good enough for the queen."

"It better be worth the price we paid." Pekis knelled down with her. "So how do we get it off?"


	18. Chapter 18

One Day Later, AfternoonReef, Vestian Outpost

It had been over a week since Pekis' previous visit to the queen. As brief as it was, that one visitation change the Wolves perspective of the world. While carrying out the various tasks they were left in charge of, whispers of the hunter fill the air between them. For the first time since the Whirlwind, the Great Machine's Light had begun to shine on them once more. Fallen all over the Reef rejoiced. For the first time in centuries, the hope the was though to have been lost to them was being rekindled once more.

Even with being in the good graces of the Great Machine, Pekis became a matter of controversy within the Fallen House of Wolves. Dispite being a warrior of the light, Pekis had pledge his allegiance to the Last City. Since days after the Collapse, the Fallen houses have been at war with the remnants of Humanity, and lost tens of thousands of their own kind to the Guardians. Pekis was now willingly helping with adding to the body count, even going so far as destroying a prime servitor, something that was considered to be a minor deity, and major source of ether for their people. Then to top it all off, he had no house, he knelled to no banner.

So they were confused on what they should do about it. Should they consider him to be their enemy, their ally...their prophet? Some of them went so far as to say he might be the Kell of prophecy, the Kell of Kells. The legends said that one day the Great Machine would chose one of their own to rule over all Eliksni, but so far Pekis hadn't exactly been helping them.

As arguments between the Fallen continued, there were some that stayed out of it, and dealt with the knowledge of Pekis their own way.

At the entrance to the realm of the Awoken, two ether filled huts at the edge of the Vestian Outpost were lit. Inside one of them, Variks the Loyal was sitting down with his mask off while listing to pre-Whirlwind music, looking over a report of the Prison of Elder's newest inmates. The number of Wolves being sent had increased in the past week. As the arguing between Fallen continued, tempers would sometimes flare, and fights would break out, resulting in collateral damage, or deaths.

Variks sighed, thinking about how to counteract the increase of aggression. 'Perhaps we should start threatening to begin docking again. That should get the Wolves to settle down.' Their was reason to the scribe's idea. After Fallen first become dregs, and had their lower arms removed, they always became desperate to prove themselves. The prospect of having their arms docked again should definitely keep them in line.

As hard as he tried to stay focused, Variks couldn't. He couldn't help, but be worried for his apprentice. Ever since Prevkis laid her eyes on the hunter, she hadn't been the same. After becoming a House Judgement scribe she was elated to be part of a house once again. No longer would she be called houseless.

Prevkis was becoming more depressed as time went on. Her jovial demeanor began fading, and was replaced with regret. Variks knew he needed to do something to help her. 'I cannot loss Prevkis. House Judgement must survive.'

In the second hut, Prevkis spent her time studying the laws that House Judgment members were entrusted to uphold. The scribe had been burying herself in her studies, and work to distract herself from remembering past events. She'd spent so many years trying to move on. She defected to the Reef to find a new purpose in life, then spent years being treated with suspicion by her kind for being a housless. When she believed the life of a outcast was all she could have, she met Variks.

Prevkis life took a turn for the better after that. She could now call herself a scribe of House Judgement. The wolves eased up on her, and felt perhaps she could be trusted after all. Variks trusted her with the lost knowledge of the Eliksni's past, Ancient relics of their history, and music as well. Life had become better than it was at her old house.

Seeing Pekis' face was like getting hit with a bat made of repressed memories. Old nightmares started coming back in her sleep. She started becoming more jumpy at the sounds of people approaching. The change in her behavior did not go unnoticed. Variks made several attempts to talk to her about it. Prevkis kept telling him that she felt fine, but she knew he knew better. She simply wasn't ready to talk about her past. not yet.

Prevkis put down her book, and laid back in her bed to rest. It helped her to give her mind a break before the nightmares set in. her rest was cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps. Prevkis got back up, and started to panic. "No, no please! I can't watch again!"

The cloaks hiding the inside of her hut were moved aside, revealing it to be Variks. He stepped inside seeing his apprentice obviously scared. "Prevkis, what's wrong!?" Variks asked in their native tongue.

Seeing it was Variks calm Prevkis down. She took a deep breath before responding "I-I-I'm sorry Variks. I though you were someone else."

Prevkis situation seemed to be getting worse. "Who did you think I was?" Variks wanted to understand her problem better. He hoped maybe she was ready to talk about it.

"I can't tell you."

Variks sighed in disappointment "Why not? You know you can trust me."

Prevkis felt ashamed of herself. Variks had been the closest friend she's had in years. Now she won't let him in to help her when she needs it most. "Because its...its too painful to talk about."

Variks could only stare at her. He hoped one day she would be ready to talk. "Very well, but their is something else I want to speak with you about."

"What about?"

"Sentries just intercepted a ship entering the Reef. The guardian has returned."

Prevkis mind froze at the information. The guardian she had seen, that had been responsible for so many awful memories returning was back. When see saw him, he looked so much like someone she knew from long ago. Someone she knew for a fact had been betrayed, and killed.

But maybe she had been wrong. Perhaps it was someone else that she had mistaken him for. Then again Prevkis new the Great Machine had the power to bring the dead back to life, and grant them powers that other could not have. If it really was him she need to know, to give her some form of closure. 'I need to know if its really him.'

"Variks...would it be possible for me to see him?"

Prevkis' request came as a surprise to Variks. "Why?"

Prevkis looked away thinking about her reason. "I...I need to be certain about something."

despite her face looking away, Variks could see the desperate need she had. Prevkis was looking for answers, and she needed them now. Variks wanted to help her more than anything. He turned around moving the cloaks aside again "Come. Let us speak with Petra."

_ Reef, Queen's Throne Room

After entering the Awoken's territory, Pekis was once again escorted to the queen's throne. Unlike the first time, he was not met with hostile reception upon landing, although there had been some changes.

Looking around he noticed that guards posted at various sections of the ship were better armed than he remembered. Instead of being only equipped with pistols, they were carrying assault rifles, and shotguns. They were also unusually tense, and it seemed his passing though made it worse.

One thing that had changed, however was how popular Pekis was among his people. Just like last time, all sorts of Fallen had stop to gaze upon the chosen warrior. It looked as though the number of eyes watching him was even greater than before. Most of the newcomers were Fallen that were either too late to see him last time, or didn't get the word in time.

"Oh, great. This again." Pekis groaned. He did not look forward to being the center of attention again. As he walked he could hear incessant chatter between the Wolves. Thanks to his hearing, he was able to make out some of what they were saying.

"See! See! He has been chosen! He even has a ball of light with him!"

"So what!? What has he done to earn out trust!?"

"And he is a housless! He's not loyal to anyone!"

"That doesn't seem to matter to the Great Machine!"

"He's right! If the Great Machine has given him its blessing then we should be willing to have faith in him!"

"I agree!"

Pekis held little doubt it was him they were talking about. He could feel the arguments between his kind getting more heated, to the point where one of them decided to start throwing punches. The awoken guards immediately swarmed the group, stopping the fight dead in its tracks. "things have been getting more intense since last time." Pekis said.

"Apparently." his ghost replied.

Eventually they arrived at their destination. Walking across the catwalk, Pekis set his sight on the person he had been looking to talk to. Queen Mara Sov was sitting leisurely in her throne with her brother Uldren standing next to her. Her vandal guards stood on either side, lances in hand, as the hunter approached. Mara looked away from her brother to see her previous guest return. "It is alive...and still has its ball."

"Your guards are more well equipped than I remember." Pekis stopped at the end of the catwalk, just before the throne.

"Yes. knowledge of your existence has been causing religious, and philosophical turmoil among the Fallen. My guards needed an upgrade to their arsenal to keep the Fallen's issues from getting out of hand."

"That mean we've had to work harder, because of you!" Uldren snarled. He had to work extra shifts since the Wolves decided to settle arguments by beating each other to death.

Pekis had almost forgot how much he hated this guy, and in ten seconds Uldren reminded him. "Oh, why don't you cry me a river?" His sarcasm receive a death glare from the prince. He'd never been talked to like that before, and he hated it.

In a few moments, a smug look replaced the glare on the prince's face. "There is no shame in running away, guardian. Apart from the cowardice, and failure of it, it's an excellent strategy. Uldren had never really expected Pekis to actually slay a gate lord. He hoped reminding him of his failure would be a good way to pay him back for his insult.

The prince really should do his homework more. "Oh, don't worry you emo fuck. We didn't run." the glare was back. Pekis had been spend some time learning bits of human culture from Bitsine. If nothing else, it definitely did give him a more colorful vocabulary.

Ignoring the verbal insult, that Uldren basically asked for, Mara look to her brother. "Was no gate lord slain, brother?"

"Oh, we slayed a gate lord." The ghost was proud to be able to say those words. He also was going to enjoy showing up that smug prince.

Pekis felt the same way. "Ghost." In a flash of light, the head of Zydron appeared in the air, and fell to the floor upside down. "We need to find the Black Garden."

Uldren smirked "They don't even know where it is."

"Educate us then." Pekis was a itching to break his jaw.

Mara spoke up "Let us tell them. Search the gate lord for that which gains them entrance."

Uldren felt outraged "Why?! If you wish them certain death, just kill them here!" The prince didn't believe they could complete their quest, and he certainly didn't want them to.

That was the last straw for Pekis. A flash light appeared were he was, then he was gone. While looking at the queen, Uldren notice the vandals reading their lances for battle, and his sister sat straight up with a shocked, and concerned look. Before he could turn around he felt a very familiar something pressed against the back of his head.

Pekis had blinked himself directly behind the prince with one of his shock pistols primed, and ready for use. He was growling with anger, because of his suggestion. "I dare you to say that to my face! I really do!" He look to the side seeing one of the vandals holding his lance uncomfortably close to him. "I you don't point that thing somewhere else, I going to use it to dock your arms!" Pekis may have had amnesia, but he knew how significant the lower set of arms was to his people. To lose them would be a grave humiliation.

The vandal flinched at the idea, but stoically stood ready for battle. It became obvious to Mara that it was too dangerous for those two to be in the same room together. Especially if her brother was going to make those kinds of suggestions. Even if he was the one who kept egging Pekis on, she didn't want to lose her Brother. "Guardian, I assure you that no harm will come to you. Just so long as you don't do anything rash."

Pekis stared at the prince's head. As enticing as ending that pompous prince was, he knew it was not worth what he'd be sacrificing. He slowly pulled his gun away, and reholstered it. Pekis backed off, stepping back down off the throne. "Apologies, your grace."

The vandals relaxed placing the backs of their lances on the floor. They were relived the situation ended peacefully. They did not believe they could kill the hunter, nor did they want to.

Rubbing the back of his head, Uldren was furious at his sister. "Are really going to let that slide?!"

The queen was tired of Uldren's attitude. "Often, when we guess at others' motives, we reveal only our own." She now suspected he had some ulterior motive.

"My motive is simply loyalty, to a people," Uldren got down on one knee "a queen, and a sister."

Mara wanted him to prove his claim. "Then please take what is required."

Reluctantly, Uldren complied walking over to the head. He pulled out his knife, and began cutting away at the head's components. Soon he pulled out what he was searching for. Standing up, Uldren held the red eye of Zydron in his hand. Pekis felt like they were playing a joke on him. 'Are you fucking kidding me!? We spent an hour getting that head of the body, and that all we needed!? I could have done that on Venus!' he thought

The red optic soon turned dark. Uldren smirked again "Dead unfortunately. A wasted journey I'm afraid."

Pekis' eye twitched like last time. They went through all that crap for nothing! He refused to believe that. "Perhaps, but i think these ones resourceful. We gift it, in sympathy for their Great Machine." Mara thought it would be best to use Fallen terminology, since Pekis himself was one.

Uldren was disappointed to say the least. He thought he get to see Pekis leave empty handed, but he wasn't counting on the queen's benevolence. His yellow eyes locked with Pekis' blue eyes "Mars, eighty-four north, thirty-two east, Meridian Bay." He tossed the eye at him, and Pekis caught it with one hand.

With the deal done, Mara stood up to say one last thing. "I have shown you benevolence, guardian. Should the Awoken ever need an ally I will call on you, and expect you to answer."

Uldren sheathed his knife "She's saying you owe us, guardian." he grudgingly said.

Pekis looked to the prince "I owe her, not you." he spat. He looked over the the queen "And I understand, your grace."

Glad the deal was over, Pekis began the walk back to his ship. As his size shrunk in Uldren's vision, he decided to say one more thing. "Good luck! ... Getting through the Exclusion Zone."

"Brother," Uldren looked back at his sister "If our guest returns, I expect you to leave the room." Uldren angrily nodded in understandment.

On the way back, looked over the eye he was holding, ignoring the stares he was receiving again. "Some favor. I could have pulled this eye out of its socket."

"True enough, but at least we have it." The ghost was scanning the eye as Pekis walked.

He put the eye away in his inventory. Right now he just wanted to get the hell out of there, and head home. Along the way, they continued to pass by more Fallen that want see him. He mostly shrugged them off until some thing most peculiar caught his eye. further along the hallway, he saw two Vandal sized Fallen wearing green colored robes, and light armor standing to the side. The first appeared to be female, and was slightly shorter than the male standing behind her. The male was holding a long staff in his upper arm, and cover his mask with metallic beads.

Pekis notice they both wore the same Fallen symbol that was on the chest that had his Lord of Wolves inside. "Those must have been the one that gave me my Lord of Wolves." Getting closer, it was clear that Pekis stood a head taller than both of them easily. It made sense since the guardian's continuous ether ration was larger than their's.

Prevkis couldn't believe her eyes. She was right the whole time, it was him. That was painfully obvious, because Pekis wasn't even wearing his helmet, or mask. Although she expect to be wearing some kind of armor, she didn't think it would be a Fallen's captain armor, or that he would have it customized with black, and blue colors. She sniffed the air, and his scent was unmistakable. Prevkis couldn't help, but wonder 'What will he have to say to me? Will he even want to talk to me?'

Their eyes locked with each other. Prevkis expected him to have a look of anger, or maybe relief that she was still alive, but that was not the case. Prevkis couldn't believe it, looking into his eye she could tell he didn't recognize her. It was like he was looking at a total stranger. The scribe didn't know whether she should be disappointed, or relieved by this.

Pekis passed by the two vandals, wondering what house they could be apart from. Their colors weren't like those of other house he had seen. Even so the hunter felt grateful to them for the gift they gave him. Before they got out of earshot, he wanted to say something. "Thank you for the weapon."

Variks smiled behind his mask. He was happy his gift was met such a positive reception. Especially when it was the first Fallen guardian who like it. "Your welcome, guardian."

Pekis walked away heading back to his ship. Variks felt excited to have actually have meet him. Maybe this marked the turning point for his people. After centuries of infighting, humiliating docking rituals, and power hungry kells, this could mean the end of all that was near. He looked at his apprentice hoping that she got the answers she had been seeking. Variks saw Prevkis staring blankly in confusion. "Prevkis!"

Hearing Variks' voice brought Prevkis back to her senses. She looked back at him, seeing his worried expression. "I'm sorry Variks."

"Did you get the answers you need?"

Prevkis though about not saying anything, but decided it was time to start opening up. "He doesn't even remember me."

_ One Hour Later, Sunset Earth, Last City, Tower

"Are you kidding! An hour of prying that head off, and that's all we needed!? We could have done that!" After returning to the tower, Pekis met up with his friends. After showing them the eye, Bitsine showed to be incredibly annoyed.

"I know. I know. I was thinking the same thing," Pekis though it was funny they both came to the same conclusion. "but thanks to them I know were we're suppose to go."

"And were would that be?" Kelly was holding the eye in her hand, turning it around to look over it.

"Mars, Meridian Bay." Pekis' answer made Kelly look away from the eye, and back to him.

"That's Cabal territory." Kelly was worried. The three of them spent much time fighting Fallen, Hive, and Vex, but the Cabal were completely different. Tactically efficient, disciplined, and unrelenting, the Cabal are the greatest known military force in the system. Their origins, and ultimate objectives are still a mystery, but it was clear they have conquered more worlds than humanity has ever known. "We'll have to break through their exclusion zone first if we want to get anywhere else."

"Agreed," Pekis said, "and before we find the Black garden we have to figure out how to recharge the gate lord's eye." Pekis was right. With the eye dead, it wasn't going to do them any good until they could power it.

"Lets focus on one thing at a time." Bitsine suggested. "We need to show the Cabal that we're the new sheriffs in town, but after the week we had, I think we could use a break." Bitsine was right. The fire team spent a week fighting Fallen, and Vex in the jungles of Venus. They needed to rest up before taking on the Cabal Empire.

"Yeah, I could use some time were i'm not being shot at, and stabbed to death." Kelly remembered how painful getting stabbed by a sword was.

"And I'm mental exhausted from putting up with that prince. Hell I almost killed him."

"WHAT!" The titian and warlock said in unison.

Pekis chuckled "I'll tell you about it later. So you do two have any plans?

Bitsine answered first "I was going to head to the City again. What about you?"

"I heard from some scout from Venus that they found a secluded spot with some hot springs outside the Ishtar Sink. I wanted to try them out."

Kelly became enthralled at the mention of hot springs. "I think I'll go with you. It sounds relaxing." She had never been in one, and looking forward to it

Pekis was happy for the company. "Sure. We can go in the morning. I need some shut eye first." Pekis yawned splitting is mandibles open, revealing his carnivorous teeth. Kelly and Bitsine were always fascinated by it. It was so intriguing, yet so scary. They were both just glad he wasn't interested in using them on them.

His yawning was contagious as Kelly soon yawned herself. "Okay, I going to our room. Coming?"

"I'll be there in a little bit. There's something that I wanted to ask Cayde about." Pekis wanted to ask about the hunter Pahanin. He forgot to check with Cayde before he left for the Reef, and didn't want it to happen again.

Their conversation over, the trio split up longing for a well deserved break.


	19. Chapter 19

The Next Day, MorningEarth, Last City, Tower

Following Pekis' return, both he, and Kelly went to their barrack room. After striping off their armor, they both were sound asleep. They spent hours in the dark off in dreamland thinking about their mission, desires...each other. Eventually it was forced to come to an end.

Kelly began to stir in her bed. Moving her limbs around, she groaned as she slowly lifted her head up. She opened her eyes, her vision started off blurry then refocused. Kelly sat up, giving her arms a stretch, she looked across the room. Pekis was still sound asleep with his face buried in his pillow, and two of his arms slumped over the edge. She got off the bed giving her legs a stretch as well.

Kelly was excited. She was looking forward to their trip to Venus. Since she heard of the hot springs she couldn't wait, which made it harder to go to sleep. Looking at Pekis made a frown on her face. their vacation spot was his idea, and now he couldn't even bring himself to get out of bed. Walking over to him, Kelly was about to wake him up, but stopped.

She stood there, looking over his sleeping figure. After spending so much time with him in the field, it was nice seeing him so relaxed. Pekis' body rose, and fell repeatedly, his arms making quick, short movements. Moving her line of sight up to his head, curiosity began to overwhelm her. Kelly was intrigued by by his hair. It wasn't like Human or Awoken hair, it didn't cover the sides of his head, and it only went from the top of his forehead to the back of his head. In contrast with his dark skin, it was white, and was shorter than the hair she'd seen Fallen dregs have.

Thinking it over Kelly decided to find out what it felt like. She reach out her hand, careful not to wake the hunter up, and ran her fingers through it. It felt different than what she was use to. It wasn't as flexible, but still felt a bit soft. Moving her hand down the side, she felt his rough, scaly like skin. The sensation she felt sent a quiver up her arm.

Suddenly, Pekis began to wake up, making a low gurgling sound in his throat. Kelly pulled away from him, and back away before he could see her. Using three of his arms he pushed himself off the bed, and used to the fourth to rub the side of his head. He could have sworn he felt something on it, but passed it off as his imagination. Opening his eyes, he emitted the usual blue glow. Turning on his side, he saw Kelly on the opposite side of the room laying down on her bed. "Good morning."

"Morning." Kelly made a fake yawn, pretending to just have woke up. "How'd you sleep?"

"Mmm, great." Pekis move his legs off the bed to sit up. "I could use a few more minutes of shut eye though." he said rubbing is eye.

"Uh uh." Kelly stood right up, "Have you forgotten? The two of us are suppose to go together for a relaxing spa day."

"He-he, you should have more faith in me. Do you really think I'd want to miss out on a chance to see your naked, wet body?" Pekis said jokingly," I don't think i'd miss that for a chance to get my memory back."

Kelly knew he was just trying to joke around, but she couldn't help but blush at the idea. She walked over to him "Well who knows?" Kelly traced a finger along his mandible "Maybe you'll get lucky."

Her words made a shiver spread throughout his body. Pekis was not expecting to get that reaction from her. A good chewing out, or a slap to the face would have been expected, but that was something else. He could feel something in him, something primal that he wasn't aware of before being aroused. Kelly pulled her finger away which made Pekis want to grab her, and hold her as close a possible to him.

He manage to restrain himself. Suppressing his urge, he got up to get ready to leave. "You have a...way with words."

Kelly chuckled, enjoying how titillated she made him. Putting on her warlock robes, she thought back to how far they had come to get to this point. Soon the excitement she was feeling changed into something else. Her thoughts were stuck on their last day on Venus. The fight she had with Bitsine, what she said to her, That cold look in Pekis' eyes. "I can't believe that all happened."

"did you say something?" Pekis stopped what he was doing when he heard Kelly.

Kelly paused. What should she tell him? That look, his cold blue eyes staring holes into her being was stuck in the back of her mind. She remembered Pekis said they would talked about it another time, but never said when. Kelly desperately wanted to get it over with, finally move on, and understand what was going on inside his head that day. "Um, Pekis, there is something we need to talk about."

Pekis sat down on his bed. From the sound of her voice it was going to be a serious talk. "What about?" is voice now sounded just a serious. It was clear that something was bugging her.

Kelly hesitated for a moment. It was a serious thing to bring up, but she needed to do it. "It's about what happened at Campus 9."

Pekis clenched his fists, and took a deep breath. Some of the intense feelings he felt that day were still lingering in is mind. "Well I suppose it's time we talked about it." His voice was just below a growl.

The warlock sat down on her bed across from the hunter. "About what happened. What I said was...completely unforgivable."

"Well Kelly, I think that is something that Bitsine should here. I mean what were you thinking? Saying something like that to a friend, a sister in arms!? I thought you would be better than that." The feeling of disappointment he felt for her that day was coming back. The memory of that fight made his anger boil once more. 'Teammates aren't suppose to just turn on each other like that!'

Kelly cringe in response. "Your right. I should have know better." Tears started to fall from her face. "I let my anger, and pettiness take control. Bitsine was just having a minor problem, and I help turn it into us almost killing each other."

Pekis' eyes focused on the trail of water coming from her eyes. Her words, her breaking voice, it was clear to him she was feeling true remorse for her action. The hunter glad they were making progress, but at the same time he felt guilty. The sight of Kelly in such a state made him wish he could take it back. He never wanted to make her feel this way now, or ever. Pekis wanted to be there for her even in the worse of times without causing her pain. Despite this feeling he knew he had to do this, or else their friendship could be in jeopardy in the future.

"Don't forget it's not all your fault. Bitsine did fan the flames a bit as well. She shouldn't have brought up Paul's death anymore than you did bringing up her lack of a love life."

"Maybe so, but I was the one who pushed it to that level. I don't know how it would have all ended if it wasn't for you."

"There was no way I was going to let you two destroy each other in a hail of light." Thinking back, Pekis remembered something clicking in his mind, screaming at him to stop them. "When I realized what you two were going to do, it was like there was someone screaming at me to stop you. It felt like is was made from fear, and desperation. But maybe I let it control me as well. Firing my weapons at you two should have been out of the question."

Kelly was stunned by this. Could that have been responsible for his for that look in his eye. Perhaps there was a part of him that still remembered his past, and didn't want a repeat of it. "No Pekis, you did the right thing. We were out of control, and you had to stop us."

A wave of relief washed over the hunter. He regretted the way he handle it. It was cold, and dangerous way for him to defuse the situation. "Thank you. I needed to hear that." Kelly got up, and walked over to sit next to him. She wrapped an arm around one of his to comfort him. Pekis appreciated it. He didn't feel like he was alone, or misunderstood when they were together.

"Pekis, what was it that you heard?" Kelly hoping it might give him more insight.

"No, stop them! Don't let it happen again!"

His words sent a shiver though her being. What could have happened to him? What has he gone through that made him lose his memory? Her concern for him made her lay her head on his shoulder.

Pekis didn't need to look to know what she was doing. Liking the contact, he tilted his head to the side so it would be resting on top of her's. They sat their enjoying their tender moment until they remembered their plans for the day. "So how about we go back to taking a soak?" Pekis asked, moving his head.

"You know it!" Excitement filled Kelly again.

After getting ready the guardians left their room, and headed towards their ship. Reaching the courtyard the two of them saw the third member of their team dress in casuals. Bitsine noticed them walking over to her. "So I take it you two lovebirds are going on your honeymoon now?"

Kelly gave her a light punch. "Spa day! not honeymoon!"

"So your still lovebirds then?" Bitsine asked with a smirk

"Shut up!"

"So Bitsine, what do have planned?" Pekis asked, changing the subject.

"I was thought I'd do some sight seeing, visits casinos, maybe visit a ramen shop I heard Cayde talk about."

Before they left there was one last thing Kelly wanted to do. "Uh, Pekis, why don't to head to the ship. I'll catch up in a bit. There's something I wanted to talk to Bitsine about."

Pekis had an idea what it was about. "You sure you don't want me to stay?"

"No, that's okay. I can handle it on my own." Kelly confidence at full charge. Pekis could see their own talk had a positive influence on her. Respecting her request, the hunter bid them farewell, and continued onward to the hanger.

Pekis waited for half an hour at his ship. He was beginning to get bored, and was about to pull out a book he got from Cayde the other day when a familiar someone arrived. "I was wondering when you were coming. I was thinking I should just go by myself."

"You wouldn't dare!" Kelly was upset he would even consider that. "You can't just get someone excited for something, then leave them behind!"

Pekis chuckled seeing her so bothered by that. "I wouldn't dream of it." He said soothing her. "So I take it your talk went well."

Kelly smiled answering his question.

_ One Hour LaterVenus, Ishtar Sink, Outskirts

Pekis piloted the ship over the jungles of Venus with Kelly in back. He followed the coordinates his ghost received from the scout report. Looking out the cockpit, he took in the the view of the colony engulfed in plant life. "That's always a welcome sight."

"Yup." Kelly looked outside with him. She understood what he saw in sights like this. The remains of a lost colony being replaced by nature made possible on Venus thanks to the Traveler. It was something to make you wonder.

Approaching their destination took them to the far edge of the Ishtar Sink. The city was still visible on the horizon as Pekis directed the ship towards the surface. Slowing down the guardians were transmated to the ground. Their ghosts remotely piloted the ship back to orbit to keep it hidden from the enemy. Checking their surroundings, the area mainly consisted of small mountains half covered with foliage.

"Okay then. Plenty of mountains covering our position, so we shouldn't be spotted by the House of Winter. There are no Vex ruins around, so no robots trying to kill us." Pekis continued examining their surrounds. No Fallen skiffs approaching, or clouds of black smoke popping out of thin air.

"Yeah, yeah, This place is safe. Now onto why we're here in the first place." Kelly was getting impatient. She spent enough time spilling the blood, ether, and ashes of the City's enemies. The only thing she wanted to do now was take a nice long soak to make her forget the war.

"Hey, it never hurts to be safe." Pekis checked out the mountain tops looking for snipers. "It's clear. Now then where are the springs." The guardians looked around. They were at the spot the coordinates lead them to, so the springs had to be there. Walking around, Pekis spotted a large hole leading into one of the mountains. "Found something."

Kelly walked over to him. Getting closer, they could make out steam exiting the cave. "This has to be it!" Kelly rushed to the cave, seeing a large boulder in the middle surrounded by several Jacuzzi size pools of steaming water. "Yes!"

Pekis followed close behind her. Gazing at the water, the hunter couldn't help, but think it was very inviting. "Now this looks good." Pekis anticipated. He ungloved one of his hands, hovering it above one of the springs. Pekis slowly stuck his tri-digit hand in the water, feeling it was defiantly warm, but not hot enough to make taking a dip unpleasant. "Ohhhh yes! This will do nicely!"

Pekis was distracted by the sound of something being transmated. Turning around, he saw Kelly standing without her armored warlock, leaving only the skin suit she wore underneath. Noticing she was being watched, Kelly decided to tease him. "What? Were you hoping to see some more skin?"

Pekis gulped. "Um, ah, I-I-I wasn't. I-I just heard a noise."

Kelly enjoyed seeing the usually cool, and collected hunter so perplexed. Deciding to egg him on more, she gave him a wink before walking behind the boulder to give herself some privacy.

Pekis' heart was pounding, his body shook with desire, and deep rumble came from his chest. He couldn't tell, was she just teasing him, or was she daring him? Who did Kelly think she was!? Goading Pekis, toying with him? He was so flustered, and stimulated, he had half a mind to march right over to her, ripe that suit right off her body, and take her non too gently. Make her realized which one of them was dominate.

'No, no! I'm better than that!' Pekis forced himself to calm down. It was not helped when a certain ghost decided to get involved.

"Ha! She sure knows how to get to you!" Pekis' ghost though it was funny. Seeing his guardian get hot, and bothered so easily. It was hard to believe he could have ever been a part of a Fallen house.

"S-Shut up! Your not even organic, so who are you to judge!?"

"Your ghost as a matter of fact."

Pekis rolled his eyes at the answer. "Whatever." Wanting to just relax, he walk over to the spring closest to the cave entrance. Outside, there was still daylight illuminating the springs so lighting wasn't a problem.

On the other side of the boulder, Kelly was in heaven. After stripping down to the nude, the warlock slowly, and joyously slipped into the water. It was only about 2'3 feet deep, so she was able to sit down on the bottom. She planted her back against the rock edge with the water line stopping just below her neck. It was as good as she hoped. She let her arms sink, muscles slack, while her worries melted away.

"Would you like some music?" Her ghost asked.

Thinking it over, Kelly made a decision. "Yes, play Kids In The Street, Please." The ghost played the requested song, keeping the volume low so the other pair wouldn't be bothered.

Before getting ready for a dip, Pekis took one last look outside for good measure. He spent so much time out in the wilderness trying to keep a look out for snipers, and enemy patrols, it became second nature to always be on the lookout. 'Maybe my instincts are just making me paranoid.'

What Pekis didn't know was that his instincts were right to be on alert, for a vandal was on the prowl. In the distance, eyeing him from behind a scope, a cloaked Winter Vandal had her sights locked on Pekis with her finger on the trigger. 'So this it the houseless Lord Draksis warned us of. Must have stolen that armor.' It was plainly obvious that Pekis didn't belong to any house since his armor style was to exotic.

Seeing the Great Machine's symbol sewn into the fabric of his cape made Skekis' anger stir. 'That damn traitor! Those Humans keep the Great Machine from us, and he helps them! Why doesn't he help us reclaim our glory!?' Skekis couldn't understand it. Why would he fight against his own kind, use his gift against them when they been struggling to survive to centuries.

Now Skekis had an opportunity to avenge all House Winter had lost, because of him. Lifting her wire rifle, she prepared to make a one shot kill. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, a most unusual turn of events happened stopped her. Through the scope, Skekis saw Pekis armor glow a bright blue color then disappear. Seeing he only had his skin suit on now, confusion, and curiosity replaced her anger. 'What is he doing?'

Unaware he was being watched, Pekis continued to strip down. Reaching down to his torso, he gripped the top half of his suit, and pulled upwards. His quadruple arms made it difficult, but he was able to pull it off him. His reptilian skin now exposed to the open air, Pekis ran a hand over his disheveled hair, straightening it.

Behind cover, Skekis was beginning to have second thoughts about Pekis. 'Ohhh, perhaps I was a bit hasty.' Taking her finger off the trigger, Skekis watched with new interest in the male before her. Ogling him, Skekis paid closes attention to his exposed body, liking how athletically built, and muscular he was. 'For a houseless, he is defiantly something else.' In the House of Winter, there were plenty of Eliksni that managed to claw their way up the ranks to become a captain, but after which plenty of them became complacent, and lost their vigor. Pekis however was not skipping on his exercise.

Skekis soon felt herself getting hot underneath her armor when Pekis began remove his pants. A lust filled growl began coming from her after seeing his bare ass. 'turn around! I want to see it!' Skekis was contemplating taking her armor off to give her body more freedom. As if responding to Skekis' desire, Pekis turned his body to take one last glance around him. 'Truly a fine male!' Pekis nether regions hung like a mammal low, and heavy. It had been far too long since Skekis had decent male in her house willing to mate with her. Most in House Winter were not interested in her since she had not accomplish anything to make herself really stand out. Once during one of her heats, she considered asking a nearby captain if he would take her, but remembered most were so arrogant that the idea of fornicating with a lower rank disgusted them. 'Perhaps he's different if he has the Great Machine's blessing.'

Wanting to put his mind at ease, Pekis stuck one of his two toed feet into the water. "Ahhh, that feels good." Going deeper, his feet hit the bottom, stopping the water at his chest. Finding a spot to sit, he let his lower arms sink into the water, and rested is upper arms on the edge behind him. "Now this is what I needed." Leaning his head back, Pekis was content. No enemies, no missions, no responsibilities to worry about.

"oh, wait." Remembering something, he took out something from his inventory. "Now's a good time as any." Pekis was now holding an old book in his hands. Looking at the front cover, he saw the symbol of the hunters. He opened the book to the first page, reading the title, and the first sentence. [Pahanin's Errata. Your missions: protect the City, Look better than warlocks, but don't look like you're trying.] Pekis snickered, "That's funny."

_ Half an hour later

The two guardian's time of relaxation was going off without a hitch. Kelly spent her time listening to soundtracks her ghost had on hand. Looking at her hand, she could see her skin was starting to prune. "Ten more minutes." Kelly shut her eyes, and continued to soak. During which she couldn't help but wonder how Pekis was doing.

So far Pahanin's Errata was good read for the hunter. The stories that his late college had were quite interesting, even if some of his views on warlocks were odd. [I can't shake hands with Warlocks. I just get so nervous they're going to vaporize me.] Pekis processed the words, "Now that's just paranoia."

Pekis continued reading, not knowing of the coming danger. Stealthily, a Fallen vandal attempted to get the drop on him. Step by step the details of Pekis' dark hide became more noticeable. Pekis had been so focused on reading, he didn't noticed he was in danger until he caught a whiff of something. On alert, he raised his snout, smelling the air around him. They weren't alone anymore.

He heard a foot step behind him, causing him to look above to see a House of winter vandal stand over him...with a shock rifle pointed right down at him. "Shit."

"Give it to me housless! Give it to me!" After the sight of Pekis' manhood being etched into her brain made Skekis unable to get him out of her head. She spent some of her time just watching him, hoping to get another look-see. When it became evident he intended to stay in the water for a while, she was immensely frustrated. She needed released badly. Nude Pekis had really gotten to her. Skekis desperately wanted to to rush over to him, and ride him until the sun went down, but she knew it was to risky.

Even if they were both Eliksni, they were still on opposite sides of a war. The sight of a Winter vandal coming his way might provoke a hostile response. Reluctantly, Skekis was forced to take matters into her own hands. After stripping off her leg armor, and pants, Skekis proceeded to pleasure herself, all the while fantasizing Pekis ramming into her. She kept her mandibles shut together, and her hand muffing her mouth to avoid her moans being heard.

Minutes pasted, and Skekis came closer, and closer to her climax. She was about to go right over the edge when the sounds of a skirmish broke her focus. Rifle firing echoed through the air, making Skekis fear for Pekis' life. She scrambled to grab her wire rifle, taking aim to eliminate the threat, only to see a fellow vandal's neck in Pekis' arm.

The vandal tried to execute the hunter with a shot to the head, but he managed to move out of the way just in time. He grabbed his leg, and pulled, making the vandal fall to the ground. Before he could get back up, the vandal suddenly found himself in a coke-hold. "THOUGHT A SNEAK ATTACK COULD KILL ME!? YOU HAVEN"T DONE YOUR HOMEWORK!" With a quick jerk, the vandal's neck snapped. His eyes turned black, Pekis let him, go leaving the body where it was.

Skekis let out a sigh of relief. 'I should have known he couldn't be beaten that easily.' The death of her fellow housemate should have fill her with rage, but she just didn't care, only that the guardian was still alive was important to her. As the rush ended, the aftermath of her interrupted orgasm set in. Feeling unsatisfied, she resumed her activity. Continuing, she couldn't help, but think about how he handled himself. 'I hope he knows how to use that strength in other ways.'

Pekis stood over the dead body, afraid there might be more nearby. When heard the sound of someone running behind him he transmated his pistol into his hand, and turned. He stopped dead when it turned out to be Kelly holding her SUROS Regime, and showing off her naked athletic figure.

"Pekis, what hap-" Kelly stopped after seeing that Pekis was still indecent. With his skin suit off, she now had a clear, unobstructed view of his in shape body, just as he did with her. They both simply stared at each other, as if in some trance, while taking notes of each other's physical differences.

Pekis' body was more muscular, his skin darker with a rough texture, as to expect with a reptilian. Kelly gaze trailed down, her hand covered her mouth upon seeing the package he was carrying between his legs.

In contrast, Kelly's body was pale, smooth, curved, but still showed some muscle, but we're not a not as noticeable a Pekis'. She kept her rifle close to her chest, preventing him from getting a full view of her full firm breasts.

It wasn't until they locked eyes that the realization of their predicament dawned on them. Look down Kelly saw that she'd forgotten to put her cloths back on before coming to Pekis' aid. She pressed her gun against her chest to cover herself better, and ran back to her side, her face blushing red.

Pekis covered his groin with two of his hands, jumping back into the water, his heart beating, and pumping blood into his shaft, hardening it. "Well that's just great!" he said annoyed. He remembered the shocked looked on Kelly's face when she saw his size. In anger, he said to his erect member "You better not be a problem in the future!"

After see the whole ordeal play out, Skekis was filled with immense jealousy. Her life would be in danger is she was that close to him. Then some naked human shows up, and gets a front row seat without a scratch. 'typical, First the Great Machine, now our men!' She thought about killing Kelly to have Pekis, but figured that would only make him want to kill her. Skekis forced herself to calm down. 'I need to think this through. I need a plan.'

Having finished her business, she reclothed, and headed back to her pike that was parked a mile away. Skekis wanted Pekis very much, but their allegiances could prove a problem. She would just have to be patient. If Skekis could steal some shanks, she could reprogram them to be her eyes, and ears on Venus. With enough of them, they could be so beyond, and Eventually another opportunity would arrive. Even should that day arrive, Skekis would need to prove she could be a valuable ally to Pekis, Even if she had to betray her house to do it.

Skekis never like Draksis anyway, or her house. built on to much treachery, and hate for her liking truth be told. "Hmm, If I get on their side, maybe they'll let me see the Great machine. Bah, first things first, must get shanks." Finding her pike, she mounted up, and started the engine. "He will definitely be worth it!"

Since their spot was clearly not safe anymore, Pekis told his ghost to bring their ship to them. He dried off, putting his cloths, and armor back on to leave. Kelly seemed to be taking her time, which did bode well for the hunter. His stimulation had not died down yet, making his pants uncomfortable to wear for the moment. There was something in the air affecting him, but he couldn't what it was. It wasn't the dead Fallen he killed. He smelt too bad, and the aroma he pick up was pleasant and alluring. "Come on Kelly! I'd like to leave now! what the hell is taking her so long?"

Kelly was still in shock. 'I can't believe he saw me naked! I wanted it to be special, not that! And I can't believe he's so big.' Unable able to fully comprehend what happen, the warlock couldn't muster the courage to face him. What was going to happen? How could this event affect their friendship? Could they still continue on as normal? Would it be too awkward for them to stay friends? Hearing Pekis calling her out, reminded her that staying there wasn't an option.

Pekis was impatiently tapping his foot on the ground. He had been waiting for over twenty minutes, and their ship landed fifteen minutes ago. The erection tightening his pants was definitely not helping. "Damn it! Go down already!" Frustrated, he punched it, which turned out to be a bad idea. "Uggh, Bad idea!" He dropped to his knees, gripping his groin in pain.

"Any more bright ideas?" His ghost who had witness the whole ordeal leading up to this point, couldn't help but feel disappointed in him.

"Screw...You!" Pekis moaned.

"Maybe this will teach you not to attack yourself to stop your hormones."

Kelly walked outside, ready to suck up her feelings, and leave. She was greeted by the sight of Pekis on his knees, holding himself. "What happened?"

"Pekis is an idiot." the ghost stated embarrassed for him.

"Shut...up!" Pekis manage to overcome the pain, and slowly stand back on his feet. "Can we go now?" His genitals still hurt, but it seemed his hard on went limp. 'Finally.'

"Yes, I'm ready to go." Together they boarded the ship to take off. leaving the atmosphere, the cockpit they sat in filled with an uncomfortable silence as the memory of what happened still played fresh in their minds. having no idea what they were suppose to say to that, It may be a while before they could speak with each other like before.


	20. Chapter 20

Several Hours Later, AfternoonEarth, The Last City, Tower

After Kelly, and Pekis returned to the City, their friendship had taken an toll. Their time in the water was expected to relieve them of their frustration, but they wounded up become more tense then ever. The flight back home was uncomfortable to say the least. What would normally have been a chance to socialize was now a way for them to practice ignoring each other. The sneak attack followed by the accidental display of nudity made it too hard for them to look at each other without thinking about it.

Once they returned, they went their separate ways without saying a word. Kelly distracted herself by doing some studying in the libraries. She heard about Ellie's team retrieving the Ishtar Archives from Venus, and was elated to hear the news. New information to study was always welcome with her, but even with the diversion, the Fallen she'd come to know as a friend was always at the back of her mind. She feared what this could mean for them if they couldn't find a solution.

Pekis used his spare time to continue reading Pahanin's Errata. He went back to his room in the tower barracks, laying down on his bed with the book lifted above his face. As much as he tried to focus on the text, the memories from this morning flooding his mind. Kelly looked so exposed, and vulnerable to him. The confidence she had teasing him practically vanished when she gazed upon his form. "Guess I'm more than she thought I was."

"Talking to yourself again?" Pekis was caught off guard when he heard his ghost. He spent so much time being quite, and dematerialized, Pekis kept forgetting he was always around, wherever he was.

"You could say that." Pekis put the book away, "You need something?"

The ghost appeared before him."Oh, nothing. Just taking a concerned interest in my guardian."

"Well there's nothing wrong right now. No hordes of Fallen, and Hive trying to kill us. Just me, you, and a good book."

"I'm not so sure. I've noticed you, and Kelly can't so much as look at each other."

Pekis stayed silent at the reminder. Of course he noticed that, anyone who paid attention could. "Yeah, well." The hunter couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. It felt awkward just to talk about it.

"I hope you're not planing to let this go on. You two are on the same team, and you can't have anything hindering your ability to work together. Especially when we have a solid lead on the Black Garden."

Pekis couldn't deny that. They were so close to the end of their mission. All the hardships, all the fighting may very well pay off. It was all because they worked together to this far, but now it may be in jeopardy. "I know your right, but..." Pekis didn't know how he could explain it to a ghost. He turn over on his side, facing away from him. "You wouldn't understand. Your a ghost."

The ghost almost felt hurt, but was mostly annoyed. Just because he was a ghost doesn't mean he was incapable of understanding. He was more than just a machine, he was a creation of the Traveler, forged in light, giving him the capacity to feel like all other lifeforms that live under it's warmth. The ghost flew to the other side of the bed to look Pekis in the eye. "You could at least try! I'm not just a machine you know! The Traveler is practically the father of all ghosts, but none of us even knows that much about it! How do you think that make us feel!?"

Pekis was shocked by the outburst. He never thought that ghosts could have felt that way. Guilt, and shame overcame him. He should have been more thoughtful of his partner after everything they've been through. Hell, his ghost was the reason he was alive right now. The hunter sat upright, his head looking down, ashamed. "Sorry."

"Thank you." The ghost calmed down, his anger subsiding after hearing the sincere apology. "Now then, metaphorically speaking, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm always here."

Pekis felt grateful for that. "Thank you." With that his ghost vanished ending the conversation. He lied back down on the bed. staring at the ceiling above him, he continued to contemplate his ghost's words.

 **Pekis P.O.V.**

 **Ghost was right. We couldn't keep this up for long, not if wish to survive in the long run. Kelly was always their for me. When I told her of my nightmares, my fears of who I really could be, she always stood at my side, even in the heat of battle. That moment on Venus, I felt things for her I wasn't sure I felt before. I felt the need to not only take her...But to claim her. To make it known to all that she was mine.**

 **AAHHH! What am I thinking!? Why would she ever want me? I'm a Fallen, a member of a race that fell out of the light's favor. She's a Human, a member of the Traveler's new chosen race. How could we ever be together? How would anyone else react to it? I can't put her at risk no matter what I feel for her. If something were to happen to her, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.**

 **Then again, maybe I should try anyway. I am not just another Fallen pirate, I am Eliksni warrior of the light. The first of my kind to be chosen by the Traveler. Kelly was also a guardian, equipped with powers that made her a force to be reckoned with, and with an intellect far greater than my own. She could easily protect herself from anyone who had a problem with them.**

 **Maybe, just maybe it could work.**

 **P.O.V. End**

Pekis ceased his thoughts. He brought out his book to continue reading when his ghost materialized yet again. "What is it now?"

"I'm receiving a call." Pekis' ghost expanded his body into a orb of blue light as he prepared to be a communicator for him.

"Who is it from?" Pekis sat back up.

The ghost took a few seconds to read the signal he receiving. "I believe it's from Crux-14."

"Crux?" Pekis was not expect to be called by his fellow hunter. "Put him through. lets hear what he wants."

The ghost acknowledged. The line was now open, letting a familiar Exo's voice sound throughout the room. "Hello? Pekis, are you there?"

"I'm here, Crux. What is it?"

"Pekis? Great! I was hoping you take my call! I wanted to know, Are you doing anything important today? Any missions, or other plans?"

"No. I'm just sitting in my room, reading."

"Reading?" Crux laughed, "What are you? A warlock?"

Pekis laughed as well. He had to admit, it did sound strange. A hunter passing the time by reading. It contradicted the standard hunter stereotype. "Well maybe you should try it. It's not as boring as it sounds."

"No thanks. I prefer going into the wilds to have fun."

"Your loss."

"So anyway. A bunch of us hunters are going to have gathering at the Traveler's Walk, and I wanted to know if you wanted in."

Pekis thought about it seriously. While he was allowed to walk freely around the Tower, and the City, he did not do much socializing with other guardians. He was afraid they might have a problem with what he was. "Um, are you sure it would be okay. I don't want to start any problems."

"You would be the first Fallen who didn't, but don't worry it's cool. Some of the girls would actually like to talk to you." Crux said cheerfully.

That was quite a surprise to Pekis. "Okay then. When does it start?"

"In a few hours. At sunset. We're gonna have some music, drinks, and a few contests."

Pekis was definitely interested

_ Tower, warlock Libraries

Kelly was spending her time reading information on some data pads. The Ishtar Archives proved to have some valuable insight on the Vex presence on Venus. What really stood out for her was the mention of the Vault of Glass.

Beneath Venus, the Vex constructed a massive structure that acted as a meeting point for the past, present, and future. From the logs of the scientists that worked on discovering the secrets of the Vex, she learned what the Vex's long term plan was. To basically unchain themselves from the constraints of the physical universe, and turn themselves into a computer virus in the very fabric of reality, incorporating the very idea of themselves into the fundamental laws of the universe. "To make yourself a law of reality. How could that be possible?"

"I see your enjoying the bounty of my harvest."

Kelly turned around to see Ellie Frost standing behind her, smiling. "Ellie! how are you doing."

"I'm well. Thanks for asking." Ellie pulled out a chair and sat down next to her, placing some of her data pads on the table. "How's the data I brought back."

"It's fascinating material. I had no idea the Vex could be so ambitious."

"I know, right. I've been reading everything the Ishtar collective had on the Vault of Glass."

They both shared a laugh. Kelly found it was nice to have another warlock to talk about such complex subjects. Bitsine was never the literary type, and while she knew Pekis had been reading something lately, he wasn't as intellectual as she was. "So how goes your search for the Black Garden?"

"We're getting closer. Pekis went to the Reef again, and they told him the entrance was on Mars, in cabal territory." Kelly saw Ellie expression darken. It seemed that she knew how dangerous the cabal were. "So enough of that. How are Avez, and Crux doing?"

Ellie lightened up. "Avez is doing a few rounds in the Crucible, and Crux told me he was helping plan some hunter party later. He even invited Pekis."

"Oh, really! I might be good for him. I noticed he doesn't socialize much with other people."

"Well being a Fallen might discourage him. It's not like the City has a good history with his people."

The subject of Pekis brought back some earlier memories. In the field he always seemed so sure, and confidant in his abilities. Whenever he wasn't, he showed his softer side. A side that was confused about who he was, that was afraid of what he might find at he end of their journey. Kelly couldn't deny that he was important to her. That she always wanted to be there for him even if he might be more than she could handle.

"Are you okay? your face is turning red."

Kelly snapped out of it, her face feeling warm. "Oh, um, yes! It just feels a little warm in here to me."

_ Several Hours Later, NightTower, Traveler's Walk

Pekis' fears proven to be unfounded. Well into the party, Pekis found himself to be quite popular among his colleges. As several torches, and light posts illuminated the area, hunters of different kinds were eager to speak with him. Normally he would not like being the center of attention, but this was different than the times he was gawked at by his own people. Everyone was friendly to him, and excited to meet a Fallen who didn't have psychotic anger issues.

He did his best to hold up some conversation with some of them. Most of his time was spent retelling the stories of his more Daring escapades. Such as when he cut down Sepiks prime to size. He showed the eye he pulled out Sepiks' eye socket, earning him some cheers. When asked, he activated his blade-dancer, revealing the dual arc swords he would use. Crux, along with some others gave him some jealous glances.

Another time he talked about was the House of Kings assassination attempt on Venus. Everyone was enthralled as he told them about how he was ambushed, completely outnumbered against the Fallen with his back against the wall. Pekis decided to let Crux tell his part of the story. How he, and his team save his ass at the last minute.

Currently, Pekis was in the middle of a drinking contest with another hunter to see who could down the most shots. They were both tied at ten, and their glasses were being fill up for eleven. "Shit! For a Fallen, you sure can handle your liquor." The Human girl reached out her hand to grab her glass.

Pekis did the same with his glass, getting ready to down another. "Please! I've been sliced in half by a Hive knight, and strangled by a Fallen captain. This is nothing to me." He did his best to put up a strong face, but the alcohol pumping through his veins was starting to make it's way to his brain. The two tapped their glasses together, and drank. The small crowd of onlookers cheered for whoever it was they bet on winning.

Pekis let the fluid swish around his mouth first. It was a good thing his mandibles could seal themselves tight, or else he would just spill it all over himself. With a good gulp, he added a new addition to the liquor in his stomach. He shook his head "Whoa, I'm definitely gonna wake up with a hang over."

"Join the club." Pekis opponent said, her voice starting to slur.

They continued their competition for a few more glasses until she had enough, and forfeited. There was a mixture of disappointed sighs, and happy cries of yes as glimmer was exchanges between the bettors. Glad it was over, Pekis got up, and slowly shamble over to a couch that was set up for hunters to relax on. Sitting down, his mind was in a drunken haze as tried to wait for his head to clear up before making his way back to his room.

After half an hour, Most of the Hunters who showed up had taken their leave, only a handful lingering around a make sift fire. Pekis was still sitting down, the whole time thinking about he could express himself to Kelly. Then there was the whole different having different biology that could prove to be a problem. "Damn it! how the hell am I suppose to do it." The effect of the alcohol was still effecting him, so he wasn't thinking with a clear head yet.

Pekis closed his eyes, and threw his head back trying to think. He felt the cushion beneath him shift from a weight pressing down on it next to him. He straightened up, looking to his side, it the the Human girl he was competing against earlier. "Hello?"

She looked at him with a smile. It seemed she was still recovering as well. "Hi." her voice was still slightly off, "I saw you just sitting here by yourself. You seemed distracted. What are you thinking about."

"Just um, just thinking about my squadmate." Pekis' voice was slightly slurred as well.

Feeling slightly weak, she leaned into his side, resting her head on his arm before responding. "Tell me about her."

Still drunk, Pekis didn't pay her movement any mind."how do you know it's a her?"

"The way you talk."

"Well, her name is Kelly Vale. She's the warlock of my team. Her hair is orange? Red? I can't remember right now, but she have deep blue eyes, and a personality that can warm your heart."

Pekis' fellow hunter smiled. "Sounds like a keeper. Did you ask her out?"

"Trying to figure out how. I mean just look me." Pekis looked down at his Fallen body then back at her. "I'm a Fallen. How could she want me?"

The Human wasn't sure if it was the beer, or not, but she couldn't help having sympathy for him. She placed a hand on his armored chest, and stealthily trailed it down his abdomen. "I don't know. You do seem like a nice guy to me. I think you just need a confidence builder."

'A confidence builder?' Pekis was unsure what she meant. "What exactly do you sug-" Pekis stopped when he felt some slide underneath his pants. Looking down, he saw her inching her way towards his length. On contact, Pekis groaned as she wrapped began wrapping her fingers around him. He couldn't deny her touch felt good, but he wasn't sure if he could go through it. "Look its nice that, aah." Pekis threw his head, feeling her gently begin stroking him.

The hunter could hear the lack of certainty in his voice. "Don't worry." Her voice sound gently, and seductive right now. "You two haven't become a thing yet. I'm simply offering to give you some experience before you go after her. And from what I can feel, she will definitely love you."

Pekis look around. The other hunters that stayed around were passed out on the ground. Feeling relieved that there wasn't going to be any a audience, Pekis considered letting her continue, but their was one thing he was worried about. "Are you sure you wan't to go through with this? Kelly saw it by accident once, and it seemed to scare her."

"Were both hunters. You know we're always up for a new adventure." She move her hand downward to grab a handful of his ball sack.

The grip Pekis had on the couch tightened. "Well aahhh, if you keep this up, your adventure is gonna get bigger."

The hunter giggled in response. "Then we best get these off first." She pulled her hand out, and got off. Kneeling down in front of him, she began taking off the armor around his crotch, and thighs. When enough was removed, he stood up pulling his pants down to his ankles, then sat back down with his erect member now exposed to the night sky. Seeing the increase in size, the hunter grabbed it by the underside, moving her hand up, and down to get a feel for what she was dealing with. "Damn! Are you special, or are all Fallen this big?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you."

"Well after this, I might just start taking Fallen alive." Seeing him throb a little, she decided to get down to business. Gripping his base, she moved her head closer, and began tracing her tongue along it. The skin of his shaft felt slightly rough on her tongue, but was smooth enough not to be a problem. Breathing though her nose, his smell was something else. The pheromones he gave off were already working on her, make her crave him.

Pekis felt like he was going out of his mind. The touch of her slippery tongue working his cock over, plus the feel of her saliva lightly coating him while being exposed to the open air, sent waves of pleasure surging through him. He let out clench his teeth together, letting out a growl of pleasure as the woman before him was willingly going down on him. He wrap one of his lower hands around her neck while letting her work. "You have skills." He growled.

Shifting her eye up, she saw the predatory look he was giving her. It seemed he was doing better than she expected. "Thank you." Moving her head down, she decided to give his balls some attention. She started off by giving his sac a good once over with her tongue before sucking on them. The hunter took in mouthfuls at a time, switching between testes each time.

Pekis felt himself getting closer to his climax. With a firm grip, he guided her head back up his shaft stopping her face in front of his member's head. "Finish it." he said in a authoritative tone.

Telling that he was serious, she obliged. She lick her lips, eyeing his crown all the while wondering if it would fit in her mouth or not. Opening as wide as she could, she took him into her mouth. At first only the cap, then moved down taking in more of him until he hit the back of her throat. Staying there, she circled her tongue around him, taking in the taste in her mouth. It was getting harder to breath so she slowly made her way back up his length to get a good breath through her nose then went back down.

She repeated the process while Pekis shifted his hand to the back of her head, setting the pace for her. He was about to go over the edge, the soft sucking sounds coming from her mouth spurring him on. He kept getting closer, and closer, and just before he released he grabbed her head with a second hand, making sure she still had him in her mouth when he flood it.

The hunter's eyes shot open, feeling her mouth get filled with a hot liquid. With no time to think, she swallowed as much as she could at a time as he kept pouring more into her. Neither of them were sure how long it lasted, but soon enough Pekis stopped spouting. He let go of her head, leaning back into his seat to recover, allowing her to take her mouth off him. She shut her eyes, taking deep breaths. Rolling her tongue around the inside of her mouth, she tasted the seed that was still there. It had a bittersweet taste, but was good enough to swallow.

"Fuck! Sucking you off is the same as getting a meal." Taking care of that the hunter opened her eyes. To her shock, he was still hyped up. She gripped him once more to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Giving it a good squeeze, she realized it was still as hard as it was before. "By the Traveler! No wonder your kind can keep up their numbers against us! You're incredible!"

Pekis was still huffing when he heard her words. Looking down, he saw what she was talking about. "I must admit. I didn't know I had it in me." He gripped himself, stroking it leisurely. "Looks like we're not done yet." He turned his gaze back to his college, the predator look on his face returning. His own mouth watered with anticipation. "Are you going to ready yourself? Or should I tear you armor off for you?"

The look in his eyes, along with with the assertive sound in his voice, made her heart beat with fear, and arousal. Not wanting her cloths ripped apart, she got stood up, removing her boots, and pants as he gave off a low growl warning her to hurry. The lower half of her body exposed, she planted her shins on either side of him on the couch, positioning herself over his eager sex organ. She held onto his shoulders for support. "Let me just take it slow first."

Pekis grabbed her sides with all four of his arms. "Fine. Just do it." Pekis couldn't wait any longer. He need to feel her wrapped around him again.

Taking a deep breath, she lowered herself onto him. The first thing she felt was his length grazing the sides of her legs before feeling his head beginning to press against her wet folds. Slowly, but surely she felt him slide into her, his head giving her canal a good stretch before the rest of him entered. She whimpered, he was going to be a tight fit.

Pekis' senses were on high alert. While she continued to lower herself, he kept an eye out around them. So far nobody was waking up, or showing up, and he prefer to keep it that way. The idea of getting caught in the act did excite him, but overall he would like privacy while he took her. He felt the heat radiating off her walls, her wetness trickling down his shaft. The whole time he wondered what it would feel like with Kelly. Would she be just as good, better, or worse. He couldn't really think about that for long.

Eventually, the hunter had manage to make her way down to the base of his shaft. She stayed still, still getting use to how deep he went into her. As well as how much he filled her to the brim with his girth. "Damn! Your a monster!"

Her flattery was very much appreciated by the Fallen inside her. As much as he enjoy the feeling of her, he did not want to stay like that all night. "If you don't continue, You'll see how much of a monster I can be." His voice was almost threatening.

Heading his warning, she slowly lifted herself off with, with some help from him. He desperately wanted nothing more than to ravage her at his will, but restrained himself for her sake. This wasn't just a new experience for him, but for her as well. If he gave into his baser instincts, he could seriously hurt her. As well as draw unnecessary attention to them.

Once she was halfway back up, she lowered herself again. The roughness of his skin sending new sensations through her. Pekis, enjoying the activity, slid a set of hand down to get a good feel for her nice ass as she began humping him. Minutes passed, the more she got use to the feeling of him, the quicker she went. Eventually, she was bouncing up, and down his lap, his hold on her strengthened to keep her where she was. The two of them were drowning in ecstasy. The fluids from the hunter's entrance soaked Pekis' cock, making it easier to slide in, and out of her.

She started to feel her hips getting tired, which wasn't good for her. She was getting so close to her high, she couldn't risk losing her momentum. With only one option, slammed herself back down. Leaning in close, she whispered into his ear, "Fuck me you animal!"

Her order was all he need. Pekis stood right up, lifting her along with him. He pulled out of her, much to both their dismay, turning her around to have her back facing him. Pekis turned around, planting her back onto the coach with her rear facing his direction, he then roughly reinserted himself. Not giving her a chance to adjust, he began plowing her with force. The hunter, overwhelmed by the intense fucking she was getting, bit into her wrist to avoid her cries from getting heard. Her long hair violently shook back, and forth along with her body with every hard thrust Pekis made.

He was just what she needed. Pekis was driving her over the edge, her climax right around the corner. Her teeth dug into her skin when she finally came. A burst of liquid exited her entrance, covering Pekis' length, as her body shook from the violent orgasm Pekis gave her. The feeling was only prolonged since the Fallen wasn't close to being done yet.

She may have gotten off, but Pekis was still filled with lust. Looking down at her, Pekis realized it was a turn on for him, having another guardian beneath, completely at his mercy. He did his best to suppress his growling. Looking around, he was almost surprised that the repeated smacking of skin hadn't woken anyone. He promised to finish quickly, especially since she didn't look like she couldn't take much more after the high she just received. He felt himself getting closer to filling her up like a car at a gas station. Pekis sped him self up, the scent of her tired sex driving him further, unaware that she was also about achieve her second climax from his continuous physical exertions.

With one last thrust, he shoved himself balls deep, his cap nearly hitting her cervix as his cock swelled, and unleashed his payload into her. Her walls clenched around him. she let out a muffled scream when the feeling of his warm seed flooded her insides, her release driving her wild. Pekis had to use his hand to keep his mouth shut while he emptied himself within her. A deep pool of juice now formed within her uterus. After the last squirt, they both were exhausted. Keeping himself inside her, he leaned down, and began nuzzling the back of her head with his short snout, breathing in her scent. With the rush of endorphin rush over, he want take his time memorizing this moment. "Thanks. I needed that."

The hunter was breathing heavily, her vag feeling tender from the pounding she received. She felt his snout pressing on her neck, his nostrils breathing in, and out, tickling her. "he-he, Someone's a cuddler."

"Is that what you call it?" Pekis lifted his head off her.

Weakly, she manage to push her torso off the couch. turning around she could see the content look on his face as well as his pelvis still pressed against her ass. "You know, you can pull out now." Reluctantly, he did so slowly to savor the feeling of her around him, leaving her with a feeling of emptiness. She sat down, the fluids he left with her swishing around. Pekis sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "See...I told you. All you needed was a confidence builder. Behind that worried exterior is a predator. That warlock of yours doesn't stand a chance."

Pekis pull her closer to him. "Thank you for showing me that. I appreciate it." He gently rubbed her side.

"Well don't worry about repaying me. You already paid me in full, and then some." She enjoyed the affection he was giving her.

"So does this mean you'll be taking my some off my people alive now?"

"Lets just say that whenever I'm bored in the field, the Fallen are going to be missing a captain, and he won't be dead."

"I'm sure that captain won't be disappointed." The human grabbed the back of his head, and brought their heads together. Her lips locked with his mouth. Pekis was stunned by this turn of events. He remembered seeing people in the city doing the same thing, but experiencing it happen to him was totally different. If felt strange to him. Eliksni mouths weren't built for that, since they didn't have soft, slightly puffy lips. Even so, he knew Kelly lips were like that, and wanted to remember this for her. Closing his eyes, he let himself get lost in this new feeling. He felt her tongue move past her lips, poking, and prodding at his to get him to open his mouth. He obliged, allowing his mouth to crack open, sending his blue tongue to meet with her pink one. On contact, they began to dance with each other, their different saliva mixing together. She pulled away, a string of spit still connecting the two of them before it broke. He looked deeply into her eyes. "Now that was...Something."

"I could tell." Looking down, she saw he was covered in a cocktail of their juices. "Before you go let me clean you up first, then maybe we could have one last celebratory drink."

"Sure." She leaned her head downward causing Pekis to let out a sigh of relief as she cleaned him. Watching her lick him clean, a question popped into his mind. "So...you got a name?"

She ceased her action to look up at him. "Efrideet."

_ Half an Hour Later, MidnightTower, Barracks

Pekis open the door to his, and Kelly's room. Inside it was dark. Drunk, and tired, he shuffle his way inside, his ghost transmated his armor off. Kelly had already returned, and was sleeping soundly, even when Pekis began stripping down. "Uh, Pekis what are you doing?" His ghost asked confused.

"What does it look like." Pekis slurred, the new surge of liquor taking affect. "I getting ready for bed." He pulled his shirt off, exposing his torso, almost falling from doing so, and threw it to the floor.

"But I already took off your armor."

"What's wrong with him?" Kelly's ghost was completely awake. He was worried for his guardian's secret crush.

"Well, lets see. He partied, got drunk, had sex, then got drunk again. In that order." Pekis finish taking off his pants.

"He's drunk!? And he had sex with someone!?"

"Shut up. I'm fine." Pekis lifted the blanket off the bed, and began settling in.

"No, wait! Pekis that's not your-"

Pekis ignored his ghost. laying down he felt himself press against what he though was his pillow, and wrapped his arms around it, settling his chin on the end of it. "Hmm, feels furrier than I remember." Pekis shut his four eyes, and soon was unconscious.

"Pekis...Pekis?" The hunter's ghost tried to wake him, but he was already out. "Oh my." The ghost felt completely embarrassed.

The two ghost were completely dumbstruck. "Kelly sure is a heavy sleeper." Kelly's ghost said.

"Yup. At least the morning won't be boring."

"Agreed."

Pekis was sleeping in the wrong bed.


	21. Chapter 21

Several Hours Later, MorningHouse of Kings Lair, Unknown Location

Things in the House of Kings lair had become quite hectic in the past few weeks. Fallen throughout the house were working overtime, focusing more on locating Peekis, who had proven himself a considerable threat. His success in destroying the Devil's prime servitor with his new found power alone had created a spark of fear within the house, But after their failure to kill him on Venus was definite cause for concern. In the shadows, some of the dregs whispered of his name, keeping their conversations to themselves to avoid being executed for potential treason. They knew Peldaks made that law for a reason, and were not interested in provoking his wrath.

"Will you shut up! I don't want to be killed because of you!" Two dregs at their work stations were in the middle of a fiery argument, keeping their voices low to avoid being heard while they worked.

"But think about it. The Great machine chose him. What if he was right? You remember what he spoke?"

"I remember that is what got him killed! He should have known that would happen if Lord Peldaks found out about his treachery! Now he has joined the Humans, and fights against us."

"And yet, after all this time, the guardians of the city are not here. They still don't know were we are. Maybe he still wishes to-"

The dregs ended their talk when a Baron walked past them. Paskin made his rounds, collecting reports from from the House of Kings intelligence division. Most of their resources were spent trying to hunt down Pekis. Their last confirmed sighting of him was from a spy in the House of Wolves. He reported that Pekis journeyed to the Reef seeking an audiences with the queen, but could not get close enough to find out what is was about.

'Father will not be pleased.' Paskin was becoming concerned. Peldaks seemed to be getting more desperate to find Peekis. Plans that were in play were being neglected. Less time was being use to find advantages over the City. All because of Peekis.

Paskin growled thinking of him. 'That traitor was threatening everything the house was working for. Victory over Humanity, reclaiming the Great machine, and their lost glory.' Thinking back several years ago, Paskin though about what happened to Peekis. His closest loved ones killed in front of him. Peekis killed in view of the entire house as an example for those who would threaten Peldaks' rule. Paskin's own involvement in all of it.

 **Paskin's P.O.V.**

 **I had to do it! Peekis was a threat to the house, a traitor to our people! His sympathetic views towards the Humans were poisonous, infecting others with his filth! Now the Great Machine made him one of its chosen!? Why!? He turned against us, kills our people in droves, destroys our servitors! I spent years proving my loyalty, and usefulness to my father! I worked my way from a dreg up to a Baron! I would do anything the Great Machine asks of me! So why does Peekis get chosen!? I've done more for our people than he has! I should have been chosen!**

 **P.O.V. End**

Elsewhere, Walking through the corridors of the lair was the Archon Priest. He had finished tending to the Prime servitor, Fakiks Prime, maintaining its body, and collecting the ether it produced. He towered over the lesser Fallen around him, his heavy footsteps echoed. Fallen from dregs to captains all bowed in respect, knowing the importance that he was to the house.

The path he was set on was clear to him. He understood his brother Peldaks' desire to ensure Peekis demise, but found the extent at which he was going to be too far. Peldaks had been ignoring his responsibility to the entire house. The House of Kings position in the system was in jeopardy because of his obsession with Peekis. Resources were being redirected to the search, operations, and outposts need to be downsized to accommodate. Even his request for replacement tools to continue repairing the prime was rejected, and the tools sent to crews that were constructing a new spy ship after the old one over Venus had been destroyed recently.

In the center of the lair, the Kell of Kings, Peldaks sat on his throne. His eyes were shut, soft snoring coming from his mouth. He was so worked up about Peekis, he stayed up later than usual for the past few days reading reports from scouts, and spies for news of Peekis' location. Everyone in the room knew he was asleep, but none dared tried to wake him.

It was a stressful time for him. After his baron's failure to kill Peekis, the strategic spy ship he ordered to be placed over Venus was destroyed. He knew Peekis had to have been responsible for it somehow. The soldiers he lost were one thing, but that ship was almost irreplaceable. It was going to take a large amount of materials to make another one, but he needed it. If Peekis was going to be on Venus again he needed to know. He need to kill him at all cost.

If Peekis' old influence still lingered in the house, his resurrection by the Great Machine could result in a coup. Peldaks would have to find, and weed out any of Peekis' follows that might have escaped execution. Peekis merely being alive could be a threat to him.

Peldaks was woken by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching him. Opening his eyes, he saw his younger brother standing in front of him. "What is it, Pivraks?"

"Brother, your obsession has gone on long enough!" The tone of Pivraks' voice woke the Kell of Kings completely. Everyone else in the room listened in on the conversation. "You have been neglecting your duties! Our outposts haven't been getting what they need! our spies have only been looking for that traitor instead of gathering information! You must-"

"AND WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST!?" Peldaks' voice thundered through out the room. "You know what he is now capable of! He possesses secrets that could turn the tide against us if reveals them to the Humans! And you know he won't rest until we are dead!" Peldaks stopped to take a breath. The other Fallen in the room continue to grow nervous. They moved away from their work places, taking cover behind various equipment, or leaving the room altogether.

"I AM AWARE OF THAT! I've know him far better then you ever have!" Pivraks spat back.

"BAH!" Peldaks merely dismissed his remark, feeling no form of remorse.

"Peldaks, if you continue this course of action, the whole house could be at the risk of collapsing. And we must consider moving our base somewhere else." Pivraks cared for his brother, but was not about to let his paranoia put the entire house at risk. If he wasn't going to listen to him, then Pivraks would have to take control of the house by force if he had to.

Peldaks stood up out of his throne. The two stood in front of each other, only a few feet of space between them, with Peldaks having a couple extra inches over Pivraks "My course of action!? Retreat!? Are you questioning my leadership...brother!? Your making the same mistake he did!" The remaining fallen in the room looked in awe at the sight. Could this really be it? Could they actually be witnesses to a power struggle between their kell, and archon priest.

Pivraks stood his ground. The two of them stared fiercely at each other, the only noises coming from them were growls, and their yellow capes waving in the air. The archon was the first to break the silence "I don't want to fight, brother! But if he really has joined the City against us, then it is only a matter of time before he reveals our location, and comes back for you! If you too blind to see that, then maybe we do need a new leader!"

'Such insolence!' Peldaks found himself at the brink of attacking. He was the Kell of Kings, he was the ruler of the house, and now his only brother would threaten to stand against him. Dispite the rage burning in him, Peldaks took some time to think about what he said. He couldn't deny his logic. With Peekis a guardian now, he was bound to tell the city of their lair. Then they would not be able to hide in the shadows any longer. The House of Kings would be exposed, and vulnerable, which was something they could not let happen. And his chances of finishing Peekis off once and for all would be slim to none. No, he couldn't let that happen. He didn't achieve all that he has just to loss it all so easily.

"Ahhh! Very well. I will summon the Ketch, and tell the barons to begin evacuation procedures. You prepare Fakiks, and all ether supplies to be moved." Pivraks nodded in acknowledgment, and began to walk away. 'And Your insolence has been noted.'

After his brother left, Peldaks sat back down on his throne. He felt defeated, having been forced to move their base of operation to avoid detection. 'First Peekis, Now my brother.' The kell couldn't help but blame Peekis for everything. Even when he wasn't around, he was still a danger to him. 'I can only imagine what he could be planning now. I must kill him once, and for all!'

Walking out of the throne room, Pivraks let out a sight of relief. He was glad he was able to get Peldaks to see reason. With such a potential threat to the house on the horizon, there was no time for infighting, which would severally weaken them. As he walked for Fallen continue to bow their heads in respect before returning to the throne room. After a while, Pivraks returned to his private quarters. Walking over to the corner, he turned on a device that begun spraying ether into the air. Pivraks began taking off his armor starting with his mask. Soon his armor was completely removed. He sat down on his large bed. Pivraks stayed up all night tending to the Prime, and after his confrontation with Peldaks, fatigue began overwhelming him.

Pivraks looked around him room. It was filled with advanced golden aged tech he scavenged during his ventures into the old ruins of Humanity. As well as a few deluxe pieces of furniture, including his bed, and some advance tech his house had manage to develop over the years. As the Kings' archon priest, he was entitled to some luxurious other Fallen weren't except for Peldaks.

Breathing in the ether in the air, Pivraks bent down, reaching for a container he kept under his bed. Placing the container on his lap, he began fiddling with the locks on them until they clicked open. He pushed the lid open revealing an assortment of old trinkets. They were mostly old Eliksni toys that were saved from the Whirlwind centuries ago. Pivraks spent a good amount of his youth collecting any he could find either from trade, or taking them off the bodies of opponents. Rummaging around them, he pulled a doll shaped like a quadruped animal.

Pivraks set the container aside. He held the doll in one of his hand. Because of his large size, it was too small to get a proper grip, so he had to be careful to not drop in. Seeing it in his hand made a tear fall from one of his eyes. He was glad their was no one watching him, or else he might be seen as getting weak, and vulnerable. Pivraks remembered giving it to someone he cherished years ago. Someone who was no longer around. "I miss you."

_ Earth, The Last City, Tower

In their room, a warlock was waking. Kelly much time in the libraries the other day. having Ellie around to conversate with really dragged out the time she spent their. That, and having the contents of the Ishtar archives to go over filled up their scheduled for the day. They spent hours discussing the nature of the Vex, their teammates, and several other topics. By the time they finally got tired, it was already night time.

The two warlocks said their goodbyes before parting ways. When Kelly made it back to her room, she saw Pekis hadn't returned yet. Most likely still at the party. Kelly was happy for him. Although considering this was a party of hunters, she hoped he wasn't going to wind up doing something stupid. After removing her armor, she settled into her bed in need of a good night sleep after of the mental energy she spent earlier, hoping Pekis was having a fun time.

Kelly started stirring around under her blanket. She was laying on her side, facing away from Pekis' bed. Her eyes were still too tired to open, and her limbs felt weary. The warlock decide to lay down until she had the energy to get up. In the background, the sounds of soft snoring filled the room. 'So he's finally back. Hope he had fun.' Kelly thought thinking Pekis was in his bed.

Minutes passed, Kelly's body redirecting it's focus on restoring her limbs to usable capacity. Clenching her hands, and toes, she tried to stretch, but felt something was different. straightening her legs, she felt her heels grazing against something rough until that very thing lifted itself on top of her legs, its weight stopping her from moving around. Her heart beated rapidly, a sense of disbelief fueling it. What was this thing in bed with her?

Slowly opening her eyes, her slightly blurred vision was greeted by the sight of the wall her bed was pressed against. Her sight cleared up, moving her eyes around, Kelly saw the fabric of the pillow her head was resting on, as well has the blanket that covered her up to her torso. Taking control of her arm, she moved it under the blanket towards her legs to get a feel of what was on top of them, but was blocked by something at her abdomen. "What the?" Kelly really started to wake up after that.

Moving her head, she felt her hair pressing against a rough mass. Kelly grabbed the thing that stopped her hand. tracing her palm along it, she realized the texture was familiar to her. Kelly lifted the blanket off of her, exposing two dark skinned arms tightly wrapped around her midsection. "Pekis?" After lifting her torso up some, she craned her neck, and was stunned by what she saw. There he was, Pekis still sound asleep, with his shirt off, in the same bed, laying directly behind her. "What happen to you last night?"

"He came back drunk around midnight." Pekis' ghost explained. "He thought your bed was his, and hopped in."

Kelly's ghost joined in. "We tried to tell him, but he didn't listen to us. By the time his head hit the pillow, he was knocked out."

"I guess something worse could have happened. It was a party of hunters after all." Kelly lowered her torso.

Pekis ghost recollected last night's events. "Ohh, you can say that again."

"Okay, then." Kelly grabbed on of his arms. She began pulling at it to get it off her, but only felt his hold on her tighten. He slipped his two hands underneath her, not wanting to let her go. "Looks like I'm gonna be here for a while."

"I'm so sorry." Pekis' ghost said apologetically.

"No, it's okay. it's not your fault, but maybe he shouldn't drink so much next time." With little options, Kelly tried to settle into bed again. She still couldn't believe it. First their was that moment on Venus yesterday morning, now this. The warlock suppressed a laugh. She figured after Venus, Pekis wouldn't want to get too close to her for a while, but it seemed he had other plans.

Kelly pulled the blanket back over her. laying her head back on the pillow, she found it was quite comforting to her. Since Venus, She was afraid that their friendship had taken a blow, but this made her feel like it wasn't as bad a she thought. Kelly nuzzled her head against Pekis' chin, feeling the vibrations he made when breathing. She felt content, secure being in the Eliksni's grasp the way she was. The warmth radiating off his body relaxed her, making her drowsier. Adjusting her body, Kelly pressed her back against his bare chest, the contact warming her further.

The two guardians were locked in together. Kelly shut her eyes, attempting to let sleep overcome her again. The comfiness of her position was a real help except for the pressure Pekis' leg was putting on her's. It was really begin to cut off her circulation. Wiggling her legs, she tried to lift his leg off her, or at least slid them out from under it. 'Come on! Come on!' Try she might, the position she was in prevented her from getting proper leverage to get the weight off. Just when she was about to give up, Pekis' subconscious mind seemed to have gotten the message. Still sleeping, Pekis moved his legs giving Kelly the freedom she desired. 'Thank you.'

Pekis spent a few seconds looking for a new comfortable position for his legs. Kelly began to fall asleep until the most odd thing happen. A limp, sizable mass just flopped on top of her thigh. 'What is that?' Pekis moved his body again, causing it to slid down until it began pressing against the back of her thighs, as if trying to get between them. 'Oh, god. He's naked.'

_ Half An Hour Later

Pekis mumbled. Consciousness returning back to him, he felt the softness of the pillow he was using. His head pounded in pain. "Fuck. What happened last night?"

"You drank a lot last night." His ghost explained. "Don't you remember?"

Pekis lifted his head up. He rubbed his head. Last night was a bit of a blur to him. He remembered being in that drinking contest, then sitting on that couch, but nothing except flashes after that. "Must have been a lot." Moving his legs, his thighs rubbed against each other. He ran his lower arm down his body. "Why am I naked?" Pekis' ghost let out a sigh of disappointment.

Pekis rolled onto his back. He gripped his head with two hands. "Ugh. Remind me never to drink that much again."

"Noted."

Pekis shifted his head to the sided, seeing the other bed empty. "Guess Kelly left already." Movement to his side caught his attention. "What the hell?" Looking next to him, a head of hair was pressing down the other side of the pillow. Pekis heart pounded "Is that?" He reached over, his hand shaking mildly. He pulled the blanket away revealing it to be his warlock. Kelly! Oh shit!" Pekis pulled away, moving to the edge of the bed almost falling off it. "Fuck! Did we?!" Memories from last night started to return. The memory of someone submissively pleasuring him, the feeling of being inside her, a kiss.

"No." Pekis' ghost responded. "When you came back last night, you stripped down, and fell asleep in her bed."

"Ohhh." Pekis' reaction was mix of relief, and disappointment. there he was, Pekis the first Fallen Guardian, in bed with the woman he secretly loved with no cloths on, and it turns out nothing happened. 'Damn it!' He could tell Kelly was still asleep. Not wanting to wake her up in his current state, he moved a leg off the bed, planting a foot on the floor. He was about to move the rest of his body, but then he stopped. Pekis could hear his heart beat, turning around to get a second look at the warlock. She was just laying there right next to him, asleep with her back facing him. When could he possible have another chance like this.

Pekis want to take this opportunity to get close to her. To memorize her scent, her body structure. He was so transfixed on her, he couldn't feel himself harden. Pekis crawled over to her, using all four of his arms for support until he was positioned directly over her with two arms on either side of her. He looked over her sleeping form. Her athletic build, her red-orange hair spread out on the pillow, the pale skin that hid her blue eyes. "So beautiful." he whispered.

Kelly slowly came to. Her short nape did wonders for her. She never felt more relaxed. Knowing Pekis was with her made her forget the pressure they were under. Finding the Black Garden, stopping the Vex, none of that seemed to matter at that moment. It was just her, and Pekis laying together quietly. No mission, no fighting, no Darkness, just them.

She was about to open her eyes when a whisper was spoken. "So beautiful."

'What?' Kelly felt the mattress around her shift, causing her to stiffen up. She didn't dare move, not wanting to let the hunter know she was onto him. Her heart raced. What was he going to do? What should she be doing right now? Was she in danger? Should she be trying to get away from him? 'No wait. He would never hurt me. I'll let this play out for now.'

Kelly's thoughts cease when Pekis leaned in closer, his hot breath becoming more noticeable. It took everything the warlock had to not react to the Fallen just inches away from touching her face. Pekis was giving her a good sniff. He found her scent intoxicating. It flooded his senses, making him close the gap between them. His snout was nuzzled into her hair giving him a more potent quality of her scent. Pekis move his snout, pressing it against her neck, feeling the warmth of her skin against his. He let out a deep sigh. "If only you knew."

'I can't believe this is happening! I can't believe this is happening!' Kelly gripped the sheets tightly. This was way more than what she thought it would be. A simply look over, or a caress of her hair would have been expected, but this was more than that. Thing took a new turn when she felt something wet trail up her neck, touching the edge of her cheek. The heat within her started to build up. 'OH GOD!'

Pekis retracted his tongue back into his mouth. "You taste good." Satisfied with that, Pekis lifted his left arms, moving onto his side, shifting his weight onto his right elbows. Rolling his tongue around his mouth, he savored the pheromones he pick up. "Wish I could have more."

Kelly was seriously considering letting have more. For a long time she considered Pekis to be a true friend. All their battles, experiences they had together, their quite moments made her have the fullest faith in him. More recently she understood that she was feeling something more for him. It seem completely crazy to her. A guardian of the light falling for a Fallen. After centuries of bloodshed, could their actually be a chance for a connection between them. Kelly could never be sure until now.

The blanket that covered her was gently removed. Kelly's upper body exposed to Pekis as he reached out two of his hands. He planted them both on her side, rubbing them up, and down her figure. Kelly gulped. what was he going to do next? Should she stop him now? Before she could decide, Pekis took his hands off her.

Pekis enjoyed that. Being able to get a feel for her without the fear of being discovered, or so he thought. He stayed there for a while just admiring the woman he thought was asleep the whole time. Pekis figured it would be best to end this now before she awoke, but remembered one last thing.

Kelly started calming down. She though she was going to lose it If Pekis continued. The warlock could still hear her heart pulsing rapidly, but she could feel it slowing down. 'Now that was intense.' While Kelly was recovering from the shock of being felt up by an alien, new ideas raced through her mind. This was all she needed. Proof that Pekis felt something more for her. And she couldn't deny that she felt the same for him. But that still left one problem. How could they reveal their feelings to each other?

They were both guardians of the light, hand chosen by the Traveler to defend the light. Both were a apart of fire team Burning Light, had fought to ensure Sepiks demise, and freed a shard of the Traveler. Even with all they had accomplished together, they were both aliens to each other. Their people had clashed for years. Even the Battle of Twilight Gap had left scars on the city. Could a relationship between them even work...or be accepted?

As Kelly contemplated the conundrum, a three fingered hand tenderly cupped her face, it's rugged surface warming her to the touch with the tips of three claws grazing her soft skin. Her heart beated fast again 'He's so gently. What is he up to now?'

Pekis hesitated. This was the moment of truth. Once he went through with it there would be no going back. "I can do this. I want to do this." Pekis motivated himself into proceeding. With the utmost care, he turned Kelly head, her hair shifting along with it, moving underneath her. When she was facing upward with Pekis' looking right back down at her, he move in for the finisher. Pekis did his best to control his breathing, but the seriousness of what he was about to do made it impossible.

'This it.' Kelly figured out his intentions after feeling his hot breath on her face. She could feel him getting closer. 'Here he comes.' Kelly was ready now. This was the moment she wanted. The moment when they would finally be together.

Just before the moment of triumph, Pekis stopped just an inch away from her lips. He shut his eyes in shame. "I can't do this. Not like this. Not if Kelly doesn't wan-" Pekis felt a hand wrap around his neck, his hair curling around its fingers.

"I do want to." Kelly lifted her head, pressing her lips on his.

Opening his eyes, the hunter saw the human pressing her lips against his. Pekis was stunned, and scared at the same time. She was awake this whole time!? She Felt everything he had done!? What was she going to do now!? Fearful of the punishment she might give him, he tried to pull away, only for the warlock to steadfastly maintained her hold on him.

Kelly removed her lips for a second. "Your not getting away from me!" She pressed her face against his again. Still frightened by her sudden action, and tone of voice, he pull away again. This time he got success, but pulled Kelly along with him, who clamped onto him with both arms.

In the confusion, they both fell over the edge, Pekis landing on his back, hitting his head on the floor. "OW!" The pain in his head distracted the Fallen from the weight pressing on his stomach. He forgot it when a pair of hands explored his pects.

Kelly straddled him, using the opportunity to get a feel for his exposed body. "You look even better up close." She move her fingers along his arms, giving them a good squeeze every now, and then.

Pekis held his breath. He thought his heart was going to burst. Was this actually happening!? "Kelly, I'm Sorr-"

Kelly put a finger on his mouth. "Shh. No need to apologize. I'm not going to hurt you." She cupped his face with both hands. "But if you try to stop me, I will!"

Pekis' erection became increasing obvious to him. Neither Kelly's seductive tone, nor her touch made it better. Kelly leaned in, sending kisses up his throat, and back to his mandibles. Pekis clenched his fingers, his claws digging into the floor's surface, leaving irremovable marks. He let out a growls, letting Kelly know her actions were having the desired effect.

It seemed like Pekis was going to lose complete control. He hadn't the slightest clue how he was holding himself back. Was it the threat she made? His need to protect her from harm? All he did know was that his cock was screaming at him to shove it inside her.

Kelly sat up right, getting a good overview of Pekis' condition. The frequencies of his growl changed rapidly. His face looked like he was in agony as body fidgeted, and twitched. She wanted to help him. turning around, she found the source of the problem. "Your even bigger hard!" Kelly wrapped a hand around it, stroking it gently, causing Pekis to let a out a loud moan. "Good thing for sound proofing."

Pekis wasn't sure how long he could last. He need her more than anything now. His instincts were taking over, telling him to lung at her. "Kelly! Please! I can't! I need!"

She understood. Turning her body around, she placed her rear on his chest, and leaned across his body to be face to face his Pekis' member. It throbbed relentlessly "We need to relieve the pressure." 'Damn he's big, but I got to do this. I did start this after all.' Kelly wrapped both her hand around his shaft, moving them up, and down.

Pekis' constant growling slowly reduced to panting. What Kelly was doing was working. The stress he was feeling was being placated. "That's it. Keep it up, Please." Pekis did his best to restrain himself, but even with Kelly's cooperation, he knew it only a matter of time before his baser instincts kick in.

"So polite." Kelly raised her body while keeping her hand on him. She looked behind her seeing Pekis was doing better than before. The only sounds coming from him were panting, and the occasional growl. "You know? Just for that." Kelly leaned forward again, bring her face close to his tip. She sniff him, taking in his musk. "It's been a while. The scent of a man."

Pekis growled in response. "Don't worry. You'll be getting more soon."

"I'm sure I will." The pheromones she inhaled were taking effect. keeping her eyes on his thick meat, Kelly lick her lips, wanting to learn what he tasted like. 'Hope he's not to big' She opened her mouth as wide as she could, hovering over it before going down on him. 'here we go.'

The first thing Pekis Experienced was the wet feeling of her tongue swirled on his cap before her lips surrounded him. He clenched his teeth tight. "Don't you dare take your mouth off! Not until I say so!" Pekis ordered with a new tone of authority.

Kelly felt a shiver up her spine. 'Where did that come from?' She was about to say something when a pair of arms wrapped around her back, keeping her where she was.

"I said 'Not until I say so!'" Pekis pushed his hips up into her mouth, pressing his head against the back, threatening to go further "So do you want to get filled at my pace, or your own?" Kelly's eyes watered. She knew Pekis was going to be a mouthful, but this was too much for her take at once. The warlock desperately tried to say something, to tell him she would do a he said, but was too stuffed to form words. Pekis relaxed his pelvis, giving her some room. "Your choice."

Kelly didn't want to do that again, so she started bobbing her head.

"Good girl." Pekis let his arms slack so she could do her work unhindered. Kelly felt good to him. Her tongue moving all around him, the vibrations she made sucking on him. It was just as good as he imagined. "Don't forget to savor it."

If Kelly wasn't currently busy, she would have smacked him for his earlier threat. He didn't have to be that rough with her. She wanted this with him. She wasn't going to just stop it right in the middle of it. But since he lightened up, she decided to just focus on what she was there to do, but he was going to get a earful later. Kelly couldn't deny she liked his flavor. He tasted like sausage with a hint of salt. Although she could do without the rougher texture of his shaft. It cause unnecessary friction in her mouth. She never thought she'd ever suck off what some would call a lizard.

Pekis was in heaven. Right now, Kelly Vale, the woman he wanted had her mouth around him. He was conflicted between making it last, and reaching the end to flood her mouth. judging from the build up it was most likely going to be the latter. looking down his chest he finally realized Kelly had her ass facing him. She had to lift it up when she leaned forward allowing him to get a full view. The suit she wore hugged her skin tight, showing off her curves. Lustful thoughts popped up in his mind. Mainly the idea of it shaking as he rammed her.

As Kelly sucked him, she noticed his balls seemed to swell. 'He's getting close.' She slid a hand down, running it over his testes. 'These probably want attention.' Her focus was broken when a pair of hands grabbed her rear end. Kelly started getting wet 'He's getting grabby.'

Pekis used his position to learn more about her. Her buttocks were soft to the touch. As the moment when on, he started clawing a the material separating her body from his as he was about to burst. Kelly spent so much time pleasuring him, he though he should return the favor. He brought a hand up to his have, taking the sharpness of his claws in account. "I'll get you a new one."

'What?' Kelly question was answered when something cut through her pants exposing her most vulnerable place to him. 'Oh god!'

Opening her pants up made the pheromones they were holding in smack him in the face. His superior sense of smell increased the sensation for him, pushing him over the edge. "Kelly! Your Scent!"

Before she could process his words, something warm gushed into her mouth. On reflex Kelly started swallowing. At this time Pekis hungrily pressed his face on her loins, slipping his tongue into her. 'SHIT!' Kelly had one end of him in one part of her, and one end in the other.

Pekis thought he was going to lose his mind. Between her scent, taste, and his own orgasm, he could barely think at all. So he could only continue with what he was doing, mading sure to lap up everything she could give him.

With one last gulp, Kelly took her mouth off him, wanting to take deep breaths, but was unable to. Pekis stuck his tongue deeper, having to open his mandibles to do so. The sensation she was getting were incredible. Pekis was touching her in all the right places. Kelly leaned back, grabbing a handful of his hair, using the other to hold herself up on his stomach, encouraging his to keep going. "You animal! Don't stop!"

Pekis was more than happy to oblige. He took his tongue out, replacing it with a finger, so he could speak. "You've been craving this for a long time, Haven't you?"

"Yes, now keep going before punch you in the balls you rough tease!"

Fearing for his testicles, he did as she said. Pekis got even harder. If their was one thing he like, it was a women who could take charge. Pekis had the overwhelming need to dominate her, but wanted to take in more of her nectar more.

Kelly was getting closer, almost to the point of drenching him. Pekis definitely knew what he was doing. Kelly didn't have time to question it when she finally to screamed in ecstasy. Her voice drowned everything else out while Pekis opened wide for his reward. A minute passed, Pekis' thirst was quenched, and Kelly was recovering from his work. She could barely keep herself up. "You...are...amazing!"

"We're still not done yet." Pekis pushed her off him so he could stand up.

Kelly hit the floor with a decent thump. "What the hell!?" The warlock looked up to see her partner standing over her with a less than friendly face, and certain part of him ready for more. "Pekis?" She said with almost a fearful tone. Not saying anything, Pekis lifted her up with his lower arms, making a predatorial growl all the while. With Kelly at his eye level, he used his upper arms to tear the suit covering her to tatters. Ripped pieces fell to the ground, the rest of her delicate flesh now reveled to him. "You better buy me a new one after this!"

Pekis didn't care about anything except her for the moment. Taking advantage of his raw Eliksni strength, he slammed her back onto the bed, the mattress, and pillow breaking the fall. kneeling between her legs, his poll positioned at her entrance, excited to break through her walls.

Kelly was borderline terrified. It was like Pekis was another person pretending to look like him. Was he always like this in bed, or is this how Fallen are when they recover from a hangover? Pekis leaned over her, his hot breath washing over her in waves. She held onto him as tight as she could, knowing what was going to come next. "P-Pekis? Please take it sl-"

Pekis push forward, paying no mind to Kelly's gasp for air. He let out a roar. If it wasn't for the soundproofing, someone would be sure to hear him. Kelly felt incredibly to him, even tighter than the girl he had the other day. He could feel Kelly stretch around him to accommodate his girth as he continued to explore her alter.

Kelly held her breath the entire time. She though she was going to break if he didn't stop. She never felt so full in her entire life. No man before could ever give her this kind of workout. It was like she was a virgin getting fucked for the first time.

Pekis stopped, his meat sheathed all the way in, the tip being able to touch something at the end. The hunter stay like that for a bit, enjoying her being wrapped around him. Licking his mandibles, he pulled his hips back, giving Kelly a chance to breathe before thrusting back in with greater force.

Kelly was going nuts as Pekis repeated the action over, and over. She couldn't tell if it was painful, or pleasurable since she had to focus on gasping for air between thrusts. With every thrust, and retraction, the bed creaked, Kelly's walls stretched, and shrunk, her screams matched by Pekis' lustful growls. The warlock's body didn't know what to do. Feel pain from being stretched to the limit. Feel pleasure from Pekis actions. She was losing her sanity from the indecision.

Minutes passed, Pekis felt himself getting close once again. He couldn't believe this was happening. Kelly was underneath him, about to filled up by him. The knowledge of that fact spurred him on. His balls swelled again, ready to pump out fluids.

Kelly couldn't remember how many times she orgasmed since the pounding started, but it didn't matter to her. The sex was incredibly. Pekis touched her in places no one had before. She dug her fingernails into his back, feeling another one come on. If Pekis could feel it, he didn't care.

Pekis increased his pace, much to Kelly's delight. His thrusts became slower, but harder, almost slamming into her with each one. With a deafening roar, Pekis shoved himself to the hilt, spewing out a stream of seed into her womb.

Kelly own scream was drowned out by his. A flood of warmth filled her, heating her up. When they were both done, the sounds of heavy breathing were the only thing that could by heard. Pekis was losing strength in his arms. Not wanting to crush her under his weight, he pulled out, falling over to the side next to her. He laid there, watching Kelly recuperate from the shock she was experiencing. She didn't even bother closing her legs until she felt Pekis do it for her. Kelly was incredibly sore down there, feeling more pain from the closing action. "You...monster."

Pekis inched closer to her, placing a hand on her body, the sweat covering his palm. "S-Sorry." Kelly passed out, leaving Pekis awake. Weakly, two of his arms crossed over her body, pulling her close until their skin was against each other. He couldn't keep himself awake anymore. His head fell down next to her's, his face buried in her hair before succumbing to sleep as well.

_ Several Hours Later, Afternoon

Pekis came to. Opening his eyes, he saw his lover's face pointed at him. The memories of earlier came back to him with lucidness. "That was great." He whispered. Turning over to his side, he saw that neither of them were covered. Their naked bodies on display for anyone who would walk in on them. Thou it wasn't like Pekis even cared about that. He nuzzled her face, hoping to wake Kelly from her slumber. licking her cheek, he rubbed her stomach in a circular motion, remembering the fluids he left her.

He still couldn't believe it. It was more easy for him to think that it was all just a vivid dream. Tasting her sweetness, Her mouth on him, the tightness around his when a he finally achive- 'Wait a minute. Could I have?' Pekis stopped his actions, keeping his hands to himself as he thoroughly processed his actions.

The whole time they were doing it, he was in a lust filled predatorial state. His only focus was on the woman he joined his body with, not what the potential consequences could be. Not how society would look at them, or how this could affect them in the field. His concern laid in the biological field. "Oh shit, shit, shit! Please Traveler, or Great Machine! Don't let it happen!" He pleaded. "We got to much shit to deal with without that bombshell!"

"Will you calm down." His ghost appeared next to him, prompting him to cover himself with the blanket. "She's not pregnant. Ghosts have some control over guardian biology, so you don't have to worry about that." 'For now anyway.'

Pekis felt relived. "thank you for telling me that."

"Well to avoid future freak outs. Think before you act. We are on a mission, remember?"

"No need to remind me. I got plenty to do that for you." Pekis was going to continue before he heard Kelly grumbling. Looking at her, Kelly eyes opened wide to see a naked Fallen, and his ghost looking down at her. "Morning...or afternoon."

Kelly didn't say anything. Stretching her body, she groan, the soreness from a few hours ago had mostly healed. 'Thank you ghost.' Too tired to sit up herself, she held out her hand asking for help.

Pekis did so, grabbing her hand, and pulling her up. 'Not talking. Not a good sign.' The two sat where they were, staring at each other, waiting for the other to say something. "Are you ok-" Kelly delivered a hard, sharp slap to him. "OWW!"

"Seriously!? SERIOUSLY?!" Kelly's voice was fill with rage. Not wanting to get in the middle, Pekis' ghost ducked out, leaving him alone with her. "What the fuck is the matter with you!"

"ME?!" Pekis was scared shitless, and confused. "What did I do?!" Another smack. "OWW!"

"You ignorant, roughhousing ass! Why the fuck did you have to treat me like a fuck puppet?! You don't just shove a dick that size into a Human girl like that! We're not accustomed to getting Fucked by things that big." She smack him again. "And a follow up! You don't have to threaten to cut off my air supply! I was more than happy to go down on you with my own FREE WILL, YOU [Censored due to severe language]!"

Pekis was left dumbstruck, and his mouth wide open in shock from her statement. Kelly eyes still burned with fury by the time he mustered the courage to replied. "I-I-I'm Sorry! I'm so Sorry!" Pekis was practically cowering before her wrath. "I-I couldn't control myself, alright! Something in me just click!" He got slapped again, his face stinging from the hits.

"YOUR SORRY?!" Kelly pushed him on his back, and crawled on top from him. Their skin rubbed together, her gaze burned a path directly into his. "You. Me. Crucible. One on one. Two hours. My Nova Bomb, your ass." She cupped his crotch in a Vice Grip. "Suggest you wear a cup for these." Kelly got off him, her feet standing on the torn remains of her suit. "Your lucky I got extras." After putting on a new set of cloths, her ghost transmated her warlock robes onto her. The Voidfang Vestments fluttered in the air as she made her way out.

Pekis laid there, staring at the ceiling, unsure what to do. What could he do? If he went, Kelly was probably going to beat the shit out of him. If he didn't go, the situation would get worse. "Fuck me."

_ Several hours later, Night time Tower, courtyard

When Kelly said they were going to fight in the Crucible, she did not hold back. Most of what happened was Pekis getting ambushed, and destroyed repeatedly. "Did you really have to keep reviving me?" he groaned, limping back to his room.

"Um...yeah." His ghost answered.

"Well that sucks. I would have gladly accepted a permanent death half way into it." He wasn't kidding. "I didn't know I could get my ass kick that thoroughly." Pekis barely manage to get any hits on her. Afterwards, he had to limp back to his bed while other guardians gawked at him on the way. They understood what he went through. All of them had gone through a serious beating in the Crucible at one point of their lives. Even Shaxx had trouble sitting after a heated battle with Ikora.

Looking to the side, he took in the view of the city lights illuminating the bottom of the Traveler under the night sky. "At least the view is great." A hand on his back made him flinch "I LEARNED MY LESSON!"

"WHOA! Calm down. its me." A familiar electronic sounding voice said.

Turning around, he was greeted by a friendly face. "Bitsine. Its you."

"In the metallic skin." Bitsine was glad to be back. Her time in the city was fun, but now she wanted to get back in action.

"Come on. We'll walk, and talk" Pekis took the lead, wanting to just sleep the pain off.

Bitsine noticed the limp he had. "Damn. What happened to you?" She never seen him in this condition before. Not even after he got the breath knock out of him by Riksis.

"Kelly happened." Just recalling that match seemed to cause him more pain.

"Kelly did this to you!?" Bitsine was astonished. Who knew she had that in her. "Fuck! what did you do?! Call her a really nasty word!?"

Pekis was hesitant to answer. He didn't want to tell her that he got to rough with her in bed. "Lets just say that I took something too far."

"Must have been really far. Looks like she tossed you around like a salad."

"She fired a Nova Bomb up my ass, at point blank range."

Bitsine was utterly speechless. What the hell could she say to that. "Well, um...Do you want me to lean on me for support? I don't mind."

Pekis appreciated the offer. "Thanks, but no. I got it, and I don't want to burden you with my weight." They reached the elevator leading to the the Barracks. Pekis pushed a button, and the elevator started going down. "So how was your trip?"

"It was good. I chatted with the citizens, saw the sights, stopped in the casinos. Also, don't ask me for any glimmer any time soon."

"Gambled, and lost I take it."

Bitsine was silent. The elevator stopped a Pekis' floor. he got off while Bitsine stayed on. "So when are we heading to Mars? I ready to crack some skulls."

"Tomorrow. I think we rested long enough." Pekis was sure his injuries would heal by then. Especially since his ghost was going to be working on him in his sleep.

"Yeah. I we rest anymore, your going to die." Bitsine chuckled.

"Been there, done that." The elevator door closed, ending their talk. A few minutes passed, and Pekis was standing in front of his door. "Finally." He limped inside. his ghost took his armor off, then he let himself fall onto his bed. "This feels better." His head hit the pillow, his eyes ready to shut when he heard the door open again. 'Oh shit!' He was petrified, that could only be one person.

Kelly walked in rotating her arms. She had quite the work out, using Pekis as target practice. Noticing Pekis on his bed, pretending to be asleep, she spoke "I know your awake."

"No...I'm...Not." he said between fake snores.

Kelly sighed. Maybe she was too hard on him earlier, and perhaps the crotch punches were a bit much. "Yes you are. Now scoot over."

"What?"

"You heard me. don't hog the bed. Make room."

"But what about your bed?"

"Why would I need that when I have you." Wanting to move on, Kelly started pushing him to the side, encouraging him to do as she said. She lifted the blanket up to settle in then covered herself. Cuddling up to him, she laid her head on his upper arm.

The Impossible just kept happening to him. First he finally got into bed with her. Second she tossed him around the Crucible in the a blind fury. Now she suddenly forgave him, and was cuddling him. "So...your not still mad?"

"Just shut up, and sleep." She started rubbing her hand on his chest. "In the morning, I'll make it up to you by sucking you off again. As long as you remember what we talked about."

"I promise I won't forget." He didn't want to disappoint her again.

Kelly moved her hand, doing her best to interlock her five fingers with his three on his lower hand. "I'll hold you to that


	22. Chapter 22

The Next day, NoonMars, Meridian Bay, The Barrens

Shortly after waking up, Burning Light immediately set out to resupply before heading to Mars. After which, they loaded into their ships, blasting off from the City into the void before entering jump space. In a flash of light they exited the tunnel, and the red plant could be seen as clear as day. Pekis, who was sitting in the pilot's seat as usual, took his hands off the controls while he watched the view from the cockpit. "So that's Mars, I take it?"

Kelly, who was sitting behind him, lifted herself up to look over his seat. "Yup, that's it." Kelly's heart sank a bit. Seeing the red ball brought back some old memories for a time long ago. "Sad what happened to it."

Pekis heard the sorrow that built up in her. "Is everything alright?"

Kelly wiped a tear from her eye. "Its nothing. I had some friends who lived on this colony."

Pekis didn't say anything. What could he say? Kelly had a good life working for her before the collapse. Now centuries later, she's here, and everyone she use to know is gone. He couldn't imagine what that could feel like.

The silence was broken by a voice over the radio. "So we heading down, or what?" Bitsine was anxious to get back into the action.

Pekis was the first to reply. "Yeah, just hold on a minute." Pekis held out his hand for his ghost to appear. "Ghost, you still have the coordinates?"

"Sending them now." The ghost sent the data to the ship's NAV-system.

One of the screens on the dash board sprung to life. Numbers appeared, marking a location on a digital version of the planet. "Alright, lets go." Pekis took the controls again. He lead the way down with Bitsine following close behind.

They entered the atmosphere, their ships getting a good shake upon doing so. Passing overhead, the barren landscape of Mars was clear as day. Mountains, and sand covered the area, with dead trees here, and there. The guardians piloted their ships close to the surface, Slowing down at the edge of the exclusion zone, allowing the fire team to transmate into the Barrens.

Their feet hit the dirt, kicking the sand up. They looked around for any movement, only the the occasional gush of air blowing more sand around. "Looks clear." Pekis said roaming his eyes everywhere.

"For now." Bitsine readied her Thunderlord. Since this was the Cabal they were going to be dealing with, she though it would be best to start off with the big guns. "The Cabal own this place now. Its only a matter of time before we find them...or they find us."

Pekis cocked his For The People. "Agreed. Lets get moving. Ghost, where do we go from here."

His ghost made electronic noises before answering. "The coordinates put the gate next to Freehold. Its a few miles from here so get ready to ride."

Kelly's ghost continued for him. "But first we need to learn more about the gate. Since the Cabal have been fighting the Vex here, they might have intel we can use. We'll send you a way point for one of their outposts."

"Got it. lets go." Pekis was the first to mount his pike with Kelly, and Bitsine following his example. With one last rev of the engines, Pekis took off leaving a trail of blue light behind him. His teammates stayed close behind not wanting to get separated. They passed though a small canyon leading to the Scab Lands. "Ghost, how long before we- OH SHIT!" Pekis Swerved to avoid getting hit by a missile flying past his front. In his attempts to regain his balance, the hunter slammed into a minotaur, breaking it to pieces, and knocking him off, sending him flying into the air.

"PEKIS! SHIT!" Bitsine sped up to get to him.

Kelly heart stopped. Time slowed down. The shock from what she'd seen made everything move in slow motion.

Pekis' arms swung wildly, screaming until he hit the ground, bouncing a few time before coming to a stop. "Ohhh, that hurt!" The sound of explosions, and gunfire shook him out of it. He scrambled to his feet just as Bitsine came to his aid. "What going on!"

"The Vex, and Cabal are slugging it out!" Bitsine used her Thunderlord on some goblins trying to shoot him from behind. "Now were in the middle of it!"

A duo of Legionaries used their jump packs to land in their vicinity ready to fire micro rockets. Their fingers on the trigger, Kelly sped up, Jumping off her sparrow before it collided with the Cabal. It's twin prongs pierced the the first one's armor, causing it to scream in pain. The momentum pushed him into his brother in arms knocking him down, leaving the two of them vulnerable for the guardians' auto fire.

Kelly regrouped with her team. "Are you okay!?"

"Just a pain in my side!" Pekis said firing his For The People to keep the Vex away.

Kelly brought out her The Conduit, helping Bitsine fight off the waves of approaching Cabal. The Cabal sent lines of phalanx to absorb incoming fire while legionaries, and psions took cover behind them. "What Now!?" Kelly used her pulse rifle's accuracy to hit the phalanx's arms giving Bitsine a chance to take them out while they were stunned.

"We kill these pricks, then take off!" Pekis gunned down a minotaur. A squad of hobgoblins appear in a flash of light. In response, Pekis formed a incendiary grenade, throwing it in the middle of them.

"Great Plan!" Bitsine advanced. With the holes in the phalanx's line, the foot soldiers behind them were out in the open. Moving up, Bitsine took heavy fire from micro rockets, and psionic attacks. As a Titan, she refused to hand a inch of territory over to the enemy. She soon was face to face with enemy. Enraged by the loss of his comrades, a phalanx charged attempting to bash Bitsine with his shield. The titan dropped her gun, grabbing onto the shield to keep it from hitting her. "That all you got!? I though you Cabal were tough!" The two enemies with now in a contest of strength, trying to overpower the other.

Pekis was starting to get the upper hand. While his friends dealt with the Cabal, he was picking off Vex one by one. "Die faster, damn it! We got something else to do!" When he though there was only one last squad to finish, he didn't notice a black cloud form behind him. The last goblin fell then two more clouds came into sight on his either side. "Great! More of Them!" He heard a loud thud behind him. "What!?" Looking behind him, he saw a Vex minotaur standing over him. "Fuck."

Bitsine, and the phalanx seemed equally matched. Each of them gaining a few feet of ground merely to be pushed back by the other. Kelly was too distracted by the remaining psions to help. "Come on you Bitch!" In a fit of rage, the phalanx mustered all his remaining strength, pulled his shield back, catching Bitsine of guard, and rammed it forward. The impact hammered her to the ground. Raising his shield, the phalanx prepared to crush her when suddenly she crackled, and glowed with arc energy. Unleashing the power of the Striker, Bitsine slammed her elbows on the ground sending out a powerful shock wave.

The titan jump to her feet, electricity arcing all around, and charged. In a futile attempt to protect himself, the phalanx planet his shield into the ground thinking that would stop her. Bitsine rammed the thing with her shoulder, a loud blasting sound echoing. She dented the shield, and sending it flying out of his hand. With one punch, the phalanx was vaporized, not even leaving ashes behind.

Kelly screamed. A psionic attack broke through her shields, damaging her armor, and body. Seeing her in trouble, Bitsine ran, her light still empowering her, and boosting her speed. Kelly took cover behind some Cabal fortifications, seeing Bitsine run past to engage the psions. The first one charged for an attack, firing a wave of power, which Bitsine plowed through with little effort. He tried to level his gun, but was destroyed by a fierce upper cut to the head. The rest relied on gunfire to kill the guardian, but with a single fist slam to the ground, they were obliterated.

The minotaur swung it's arm. Pekis tried to move away, but was too slow. A robotic fist punched in the ribs, breaking a few of them, and taking the wind out of him. He was propelled in the air again. "Not again!" He wheezed in pain. Pekis expected to hit a boulder, or some sand. Unfortunately that was not mean to be. A second blow hit him in the side, sending him another direction. "Why me!?" He felt more of his bones break from the pressure, the bone fragments piercing his tissue.

Pekis' ghost was working overtime to heal him when something grabbed him in mid air. The hunter coughed, Blue colored blood staining the inside of his mask. The hand around him squeezed, pushing out more blood. He look up to see the red light of Vex eye staring at him. "Fuck...you!" The minotaur threw him, slamming him into a boulder breaking his back. In pain, Pekis managed to pull off his mask allowing his blood to spill on the sand.

Kelly, and Bitsine saw him go down. "PEKIS!" They fired their guns getting the attention of two of them.

The third one marched over to the dying hunter, a pool of blood forming next to his head. Pekis felt the ground shake from it's stomps until it stopped. It looked down on him, thinking it was the end of him. It readied it's torch hammer to finish the job. Just as it was about to fire, Pekis exploded with the power of arc. He was consumed in lightning. His wounds healed, his bones snapped back into place, and two swords formed in his hands. The minotaur pulled the trigger. Pekis turned around, cutting the weapon in half before it could fire. Using his lighting speed, he got up cutting through the Vex's legs. Before it could fall, Pekis swung his blade again, cutting a diagonal line through it's chest.

Bitsine was having fun, toying with the minotaur. It fired shot after shot from it's torch hammer only for Bitsine to simply jump, and dance around it with ease. "Come on! You can do better than that!" Her feet hit the ground. She was about to finish it off when Pekis suddenly appeared in a flash, cutting it in half, down the middle. The two halfs fell in opposite directions. "Kill joy!"

Pekis didn't pay any mind to Bitsine outburst, kicking the dirt, taking off in Kelly's direction. The warlock wasn't having any difficulty on her end. Using her pulse rifle, she punch through the minotaur's shield, taking off its head in the process. Losing it's sight, the minotaur went haywire, sparking, and shooting energy fire in all directions. Putting some distance between her, and the malfunctioning Vex, a single burst to it's chest would finish it. Suddenly a arc sword pierced through it's back, burst out through the radiolaria container, electrifying it. It's systems short circuited, causing it to explode.

"Fuck! That hurt!" The explosion forced bits of shrapnel to hit him. His power wore off, his blades faded, and fatigue gripped him. Falling to a knee, Pekis took his mask off. Recovering from his injuries alone would be one thing, but having the stress of using his super to do it really took it out of him. Before he could get up, he saw Kelly running to him. "Kelly, are you-"

Kelly cut him off to kiss him. She was so scared for him. Seeing him crash, then get tossed around like that was more than she could bear to see. "Damn it! I was so scared! Why did you have to crash?"

Pekis was not expecting that. "Well it's not like I planned it. And what's with this new concern for my safety? The other day, you had no problem tossing me around."

Kelly gave him a thump on his helmet. "You ass! You asked for it! And as I recalled, I made up for it this morning. Now get up." Kelly grabbed his arms, and pulled him to his feet.

His legs still feeling tired, he stumbled a bit, but regained his balance. Just then Bitsine manage to make her way over to them. "Jeez, Pekis! Did you have to kill that minotaur? I was about to do it myself."

"When I saw you taking your sweet time, I decided to speed things up for you." Pekis defended. "Now lets get going before more of these fat bastards show up" He said kicking a legionary. Bitsine grumbled bitterly.

Leaving the Scab Lands behind them, the way point lead them to Giant's Pass. "Plenty of places for ambushes. Keep a lookout." Pekis shifted his eyes all around, watching for enemy movement while watching the road ahead of them.

"You know, I figured that for a large military force like the Cabal, they would have covered more ground. But so far they don't seem that spread out." Kelly said.

"Of course not." Bitsine replied, having a military background. "You don't spend resources trying to protect useless patches of land. You focus of places with strategic value like areas with minerals you can mine, or places you can fortify for a base of operations."

"Lets just be glad we have plenty of wiggle room so we don't run into a patrol every 5- oh shit!" Pekis hit the brakes.

Kelly, who was right behind, swerved to avoid hitting him. She stopped, turning her sparrow sideways. "What is it!?"

"Up ahead." Pekis pointed his finger. "That's were the way point ends." Several Cabal fortifications were built into the mountain side. Patrols marched around, keeping an eye out for trespassers. Luckily Burning Light used the nearby rocks to stay out of sight. Pekis looked through his Wire Rifle's scope to get a better picture. "Some legionary squads, phalanxs, a few psions, but no commander."

"Must be inside." Bitsine said cocking her Dealbreaker.

"We have to lure him out. We'll need his security codes to get inside their systems." Bitsine's ghost stated.

"Then lets go knock on his door." Pekis squeezed the trigger, sending a arc bullet through a legionary's head. His helmet blew off, black tar exploding out of his suit before he fell dead. The rest of his squad bellowed in anger, seeing the trio responsible, they fired all weapons.

From the distance they were at, the rockets shot at them merely passed by, or didn't reach them. "I don't think they know the range their weapons have." Kelly said.

"Guess that's what happens when you use rockets instead of lead." Bitsine jumped down from the rock she was standing on. Moving up, The titian returned fire, her bullets hitting their mark. "How do you like that!? Good old fashion lead!" Legionaries, and psions alike dropped.

Pekis, and Kelly watched as their teammate dispatch Cabal with little trouble. Cabal micro rockets were relatively slow, and easy enough to see coming. So Bitsine didn't have any trouble avoiding them. "Let's go join the fun." Pekis continued sniping, focusing on the rear ranks of the Cabal, while Kelly ran up behind Bitsine to lend her support. They covered each other, preventing the Cabal from flanking, or gaining ground.

Without warning, alarms sounded. "Bell's been rung!" Bitsine punched a psion, shattering it's helmet.

Pekis caught up with them, switching to his Lord of Wolves. A large door leading to the underground passages opened up, revealing a centurion followed by a squad of legionaries. "That him! That's the commander!" Pekis' ghost said as Bracus Tho'ourg propelled himself with his jump jet to an elevated position. The legionaries stormed the battlefield, spreading out to cover more ground. Tho'ourg, utilizing a Projection Rifle, sent out a spread of explosive bombs, forcing the guardians to separate.

"Bitsine, take care of those soldiers! Kelly, we're killing that bastard!"

"On it!" Bitsine threw a pulse grenade, catching two cabal in it's blast radius. She shoulder charged the third, pushing him on top of the grenade, electrifying him. The remaining foot soldiers rushed her, believing they could overpower her with brute strength, and numbers. "alright! Come on!"

Tho'ourg was about to help his men with guardian who just killed three of them when he noticed the other two coming at him. Enraged, he focused on the two who dared challenged him.

Seeing another incoming salvo, Kelly, and Pekis split up. "You go left! I go Right!" Pekis said.

"Okay!" Kelly ran up the dirt slope running through the outpost, drawing Tho'ourg's attention. She opened fire with her Conduit, it's bullets bouncing off his solar shield.

With the centurion distracted, Pekis made his way up the wall of the outpost, positioning himself behind him. Leveling his gun, a burst of hot metal slammed into Tho'ourg. The heat of the fire merged with the solar shield, resulting in a overload, causing a small scale explosion. Tho'ourg's armor took the brute of it, protecting him from death. His armor ended up badly burnt with a few pieces blow off.

Before he could comprehend what happened, another burst hit his back. Tho'ourg turned around, seeing an Eliksni standing before him, wielding some form of shrapnel launcher. What was his business here? What could one of those Fallen scavengers be looking for on Mars? Another salvo was fired.

Pekis dodged the incoming explosives. Kelly fired her rifle, aiming for his head. The bullets managed to leave some dents, but not enough to penetrate it.

Tho'ourg roared. He tried to find the one responsible, only for the Fallen to shoot again, targeting his rifle, and rendering it useless. It fell to ground, its metal scorched, leaving it's owner defenseless. The Bracus was burning from fire, and rage. He stomped his foot in the ground preparing to charge.

'What is he up to?' Pekis reloaded his Lord of Wolves. Before he could fire again, the centurion rushed him. The hunter backed away as Tho'ourg reached out to try, and grab him. His back hit a stone wall. With little time, Pekis jumped, clearing himself over the Cabal.

Tho'ourg hit the wall head first, cracking the stone, and his helmet. The HUD inside his helmet was disabled, leaving him blinded, and dazed from the impact. He stumbled around for a few seconds, unable to get his bearings, when a weight made itself present on his back.

Pekis didn't have much trouble latching onto the Bracus' back. Even with the Cabal thrashing around to shake him off, his four arms were perfect to hold onto him. When Tho'ourg got tired from his exertions, Pekis use the chance to pry off his broken helmet. "You are ugly!" Pekis pulled out his shock knife, and impaled through with skull. Tho'ourg's arms fell limp, dangling from his sides as he lost all forms of consciousness. "Stupid asshole." Pekis' victory was short lived when he noticed Tho'ourg was leaning backwards. "No, no, no, no, NO!"

Kelly held her breath. Tho'ourg's body fell back with Pekis underneath him. He felt himself being crush under 800 pounds of Flesh, and metal. "Damn it! Get this guy off me!" He wheezed, trying to push the Cabal off him.

Kelly slid over to him. She tried desperately to help, but having a strong physique wasn't her best feature. "BITSINE! We need help!"

Bitsine shot one last shell from her Crash, taking the head off the last Legionary. "Anyone else." She said, pumping her gun. Kelly's voice echoed through the air. "Hold on! I coming!" Making her way to her friends, she came upon a most peculiar sight. "What happened!?"

"Heavy piece of crap fell on me! Please get him off!" Pekis Pleaded.

Bitsine stood on the opposite side. "On Three." Kelly, and Bitsine grabbed either side of the body. "One, two, three!" The two guardian pulled with every thing they had while Pekis pushed.

At first it didn't seem like they were making any progress until Pekis could feel the weight being lifted off him. "It's working!" This progress encouraged him to push harder. Not soon enough, They managed to lift Tho'ourg a few inches giving Pekis some wiggle room. He pull himself out, his foot almost getting stuck in the armor, before his friend's arms gave out. "Finally."

Kelly panted heavy. That was more weight than see ever had to lift before. "Why do...you keep getting in trouble?" She couldn't figure it out. First he crashed. Then he gets smacked around by Vex. Then gets crushed under a Cabal.

Pekis waited for the blood to start circulating in his legs. "Because I like seeing how much you care." He joked.

"Well If you keep it up, we might not be around to help you again." Bitsine said. "So can we get those codes now?"

"Just a sec." The ghosts materialized, and began scanning the body. "Got them. Now head to the outpost in the Valley of the Kings. It's right next to the gate."

Pekis got up to his feet, still recovering from the experience. "Good. Let's go." Remounting their vehicles, their way point guided them to their destination. It was a short trip. In a minute, they were greeted by the sight of a giant Vex gate, pulsing with energy, overlook the vase martian desert. "So that's it."

"I thought it be more impressive looking." Bitsine said disappointed.

"Me too. But I guess I can't say I'm surprised. The Vex aren't interested in making anything look spectacular." Kelly was the first to spot the outpost. "There it is. That should have what we need."

On approach, the Cabal sentries were put on alert by the sounds of sparrow engines. Legionaries, and psions took positions in the watchtowers while phalanxs formed a defensive line.

Seeing the defenses, Pekis looked back at Kelly. "Kelly, could you please clear the way for us?"

"Aw, So polite. Alright." Kelly jump off her sparrow, hovering high in the air as she channeled her void light.

The Cabal phalanxs tightened their formation ready to withstand any attack. What they didn't know was that this was no ordinary attack.

Kelly fired her Nova Bomb, splitting it into three projectiles. Spreading out, they covered the entire Cabal line, decimating them on detonation, Only leaving behind their shields on the ground. "Way is clear."

A psion tried to flee, terrified by the display, only to be shot in the back by a fellow psion. "Coward!" She looked back to be stabbed in the neck by the four eyed guardian.

The others flinched to see he was on their level now all of the sudden. "Hi there." Pekis unholstered his shock pistols, making head shots from the closest hostiles. He held up the dead psion by the knife still logged in her neck, using her for cover.

Bitsine charged into the outpost, Blasting away the diminish Cabal forces. Kelly followed behind her, taking out the leftovers. Before long, the combine might of the guardians cleared out the outpost.

Pekis dropped the psion, sheathing his knife, and pistols. He stood in the middle of a massacre, blood of psions, and legionaries stained the floor. "It's clear on my end." He radioed.

"Our side too." Bitsine replied. Kicking off a legionary's helmet, some form of black oil burst out of it's suit, pooling around the head. "Yuk! What is that stuff?"

"Cabal Organogel." Her ghost answered. "They use it to keep their suits pressurized while off their home world."

"Huh. Well that's interesting. So now what?"

"Up here!" Bitsine look up to see Pekis climbing up rocks on the mountain side. The speed at which he was moving was surprising. With his multiply arms, it was like he was a spider. His hands latched onto every edge effortlessly, like he had been doing it for years. After reaching the top, he was standing next to another Cabal structure overlooking the base. "My ghost said there's a terminal we can use up here."

Bitsine just stood there. "How did you learn to climb like that."

"What are you talking about?"

Kelly, who was standing next to her, answered for her, equally curious. "She means how are you able to climb so fast?"

Pekis was confused. What were they talking about? "I uh. I...just did it."

His answer was not satisfactory. Seeing they weren't making progress, Pekis ghost tried to explain. "It's in his nature. Fallen are built for climbing. It's as natural to them as anything else."

Their question answered, they followed him. Without having a natural affinity for climbing, the two guardians had to rely on their light to get higher. Pekis waited, tapping his foot impatiently. Are they usually this slow? The tapping stopped with Kelly manage to grab onto the ledge he stood on. Kneeling down, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up. "About time."

Kelly jab him. "If I didn't like you so much, i'd throw you off."

A low growl came from his throat. "Is that so." He trailed his hand down her arm. "If you like, I could try giving you some private lessons on climbing. Your arms feel like they could use some work."

Kelly stepped closer. "Is that all I would get from you."

Pekis was about to respond when the sound of falling rock caught his attention. "A little help." Bitsine was holding onto the ledge trying to pull herself up. The couple broke apart to help. "Thanks. So what were you to talking about?"

They froze. Bitsine was their friend, but they weren't ready to be open about their relationship. Thinking quickly, Pekis came up with an answer. "I was offering to help Kelly with honing her climbing skill. In my opinion, how slow you two are might be a hindrance for future missions."

"You arrogant dick. It's not our fault we don't have four arms."

"Moving on. Where is the computer you found?" Kelly asked wanting to avoid suspicion.

Pekis lead them inside, a white circular deceive emitting a hologram of the Vex gate sat. Letting his ghost begin scanning, the fire team waited taking in how close they were. Their search finally lead them to the Garden's entrance. "So, ghost. What do they have on the gate?"

"They been doing tests on the gate for years. So far, they don't seem to even know what the gate is. But from what I can tell, we'll definitely need the gate lord's eye."

Hearing this, Pekis took out eye. Looking it over, he could tell that it was still dead. "Uldren did mention that, but how are we suppose to use it?"

Kelly took the eye from him. She had her ghost do a scan of it. "Most of the components are still intact. It just needs a jump start."

"Mars is fill with Vex ruins like Venus. If we do some searching around we might find something." Kelly said.

Pekis sighed. "So close, and yet so far."


	23. Chapter 23

The Next day, MorningEarth, The Last City, Tower

Like clockwork, Life in the last City continue as the sun overcame the night. Across the City, citizens went about their daily routines. Parents escorted their children to their respective schools before going to work, or returning home from whatever night shifts they had. Traffic in the streets, and skies never seem to slow down. Lights flickered off to allow the sun to do their job for them. Vegetation was tended to, crops being prepared for the upcoming harvest, and food distributed to local stores, while glimmer was traded, and put into circulation for the economy. The remnants of humanity enjoy luxuries that were not present during the dark times after the Collapse.

But even with shelter, and the commodities everyone had, all was not as it seemed. Worming through the crooks, and crannies of the City, the presence of fear could be felt. In the backs of everyone's mind, they knew it was not as safe as it would appear. They were all still aware of the situation. The threat of the Fallen, and new Hive presence on Earth had not died down much over the recent years. The Fallen continued to poke, and prod at the City's defense. Whether to wear them down, or to find a weak spot, no one knew. Years ago, The number of guardians defending the City were at a all time high until the Great Disaster.

Since then, guardian numbers had been dwindling overtime in a war of attrition. Overlooking the City, the Speaker stood in his tower, looking thoughtfully behind his mask at the city that took centuries to build. As the one that spoke for the Traveler, he knew better than anyone of their current situation. The Traveler may have been mute, but he had his own way of feeling the currents of the cosmos. In recent events, the darkness had been pushed back, if only slightly. It's forces had been disrupted. A few of their plans ruined, and in a most shockingly turn of events, a shard of the Traveler had found it's way back to the light.

The Speaker shifted his gaze to the Traveler, focusing on what was at one point a part of of It's wound. "When will you finally awaken?" He felt joy when he heard of the shard. And was even more surprised when he heard it was the Fallen guardian that had a hand in it. The Speaker was confused by him. The Fallen had been laying siege to the City for centuries, and hadn't been known to show any form of mercy. 'Why Traveler? Why after all this time do you shine your light on the Fallen once more?'

In his time, he heard the legends of what the Fallen once were. A proud, and noble race that danced in the light under the Traveler. They had their own golden age that came crashing down on them just like humanity, and since then they had been forced to infighting, and scavenging to survive. 'If only I could hear you speak.' His thoughts were broken by the sound of footsteps. Looking behind him, the warlock vanguard stood before him. "Ikora. Welcome."

"Greeting, Speaker." Ikora walked forward, standing next to her fellow warlock. "I trust your morning has been well."

The Speaker turned back to the city. "Yes, it has." Ikora joined him in watching the view. "So what brings you here?"

"I was hoping that you might be able to tell me what is the state of the Darkness in recent times." As a member of the vanguard, Ikora was the entrusted to help coordinate the defense of the city, as well as operations outside the city. Being a warlock, she had more of a connection to the void, being able to sense the tipping scale between light, and darkness, but not as effectively as the Speaker could.

The Speaker let out a sight. He wished he could have better new for the vanguard, but it was not meant to be. "I'm afraid it hasn't gotten much better."

"I hoped that with our recent successes, the scale might tip in our favor."

"The battle between the light, and dark is a war that's been waged over Billions of years. A few battles will not be enough to win."

Ikora was disappointed, but not surprised. "I suppose it was to much to hope for that." After the losses they sustained in the Great Disaster, they had been forced back behind the wall for years. At this point, any victory they had was a blessing.

The Speaker looked at Ikora. She did her best to maintain her composer, but in her eyes, she carried a great sadness. "There's nothing wrong with hope, Ikora. There's always a place in life for it. It's the crack that lets the light in."

Ikora took his words to heart. He was right. They needed hope during these dark times. "Thank you, Speaker."

"Of Course." Turning back to the city, The Speaker thoughts turned back to Pekis. "Tell me, Ikora. How has our newest hunter been adjusting to his new life."

Ikora suspected that topic might come up. Sometimes she still couldn't believe it. A Fallen reforged in light. Before him, she would never think it'd be possible. "He has been doing well. So far he has been a great asset for us. As well as a fine warrior, but..." The Speaker waited for her to finish. "He still seems trouble."

The Speaker was intrigued. "How so?"

"I believe it has something to do with who he was before his death. What kind of person he might have been before."

The Speaker heard of Pekis' condition. While guardian who didn't remember their time before was somewhat rare, it was not unheard of. "Their could be good reason for it."

"That could be true...but then why would the Traveler bless him with the light? And what could this mean for the Fallen?"

"...I do not know. But perhaps our questions with be answered when he find his answers. After all, even he has a chance to make his own fate." Ikora nodded in response. The two remained their for a time, contemplating things until the Speaker spoke again. "So, Ikora. Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"

"Certainly." She smiled.

_MeanwhileMars, Meridian Bay, Barrens

On Mars, in a dimly lit cave Kelly was beginning to stir. Following their adventure the yesterday morning, the fire team spent the rest of the day scouting Meridian Bay. They mapped out the area, marking Cabal outposts, and Vex ruins alike, sending the intel they gathered to the vanguard to update the Tower's data on Mars. It would be distribute among guardians, allowing them to know how to traverse the dangers in the barren landscape.

The guardians continued their work well into the night. At a certain point, They chose to spend the night in an isolated cavern so they wouldn't be discovered in the dead of night.

As Kelly woke from her slumber, she took a moment to stretch on top of her make shift bedding. Dispite having to sleep on the ground, The layer of sand underneath her made laying down a bit more comfortable. Opening her eyes, she could tell it was morning by the light shining through the entrance. Sitting up, Kelly looked around, taking notice of the Exo sitting against the wall. "Morning." Bitsine didn't say anything. "Bitsine?"

Kelly walked over to her, and knelt down. "Bitsine?" Still no response. Getting a closer look, she notice that her eyes that were normally white colored were now dark, and lifeless. The warlock tapped a finger on her head, but still nothing. "Ohh, she's sleeping." Kelly forgot Exos could do that.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Bitsine ghost said. "Did you want to talk to her? I can wake her up if you like."

"Oh, no. That's fine. I just though she was awake." Kelly back away, not wanting to disturb the titan. turning around, it became apparent that they were missing a member. "Where's Pekis?" Kelly looked around the cave, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"He left a hour before you woke up." Her ghost informed. "Something about exploring the unexplored parts of Meridian Bay."

"What!? And you didn't wake me?"

"It looked like you need sleep, and he wanted to go solo for a while." The ghost defended

Kelly let out a sight, and sat down. "Well I guess it can't be helped. He is a Hunter." The warlock decided to wait for Bitsine to wake up. Pekis probably needed his alone time anyway. They couldn't stay together all the time. 'Hope he'll be alright.'

Elsewhere, Pekis squatted on top a cliff overlooking a cabal base established in a canyon. Scoping out the base with his Wire Rifle, he took notes of the infrastructure, and patrolling guards. "So this is Fire Base Rubicon." Pekis managed to sneak past the base's entrance to avoid putting the Cabal on alert. He had to admit, it was exciting to try sneaking in rather than guns blazing.

"I'll mark it down for the Vanguard." His ghost said. "So do you think we can head back before the alert the entire base?"

'Turn back?' Pekis thought about, Then felt his hunter instincts kick in. A smile formed on his mandibles. "No, let's keep going. Were bound to find something interesting if they went to all this trouble to build this place."

"Probably to house more soldiers. Shouldn't we get the other first at least."

"We can do this ourselves. Besides I wasn't planning on shooting my way through." Pekis activated his cloak before jumping down. The impact lifted up some sand, but no one took notice. He pulled out his knife, keeping it on hand should he need it, then stealthily started walking.

The centurion in charge of the base was handing out the daily assignments to the troops under his command. He pointed to two psions "You two. reinforce the canyon entrance. After yesterday I don't any more surprises."

"Yes, sire." The psions saluted. On the way, a cloud of sand suddenly kick up. "What was that?" One of them said raising their gun.

"Probably just the wind." The other kept walking, paying no mind. "Come on."

The first one wasn't so easily satisfied. examining the area, their was no sign of what caused it. "Must be nothing." Just as he dropped his guard, something wrapped around his helmet.

"Or it could be me." Pekis jammed his knife into the psion's throat, cutting through his airway, preventing him from screaming.

The second turning around, expecting his partner to be catching up, only to see no one their. "Great. Now where is he?" Hearing something behind a nearby boulder, he expected him to be taking a bathroom break. "You better be taking a-" turning the corner, he found his comrade's body hidden behind the rock right before the same blade silenced him as well.

Pekis wiped the knife with a cloth he had on hand before pressing on. "You sure you don't want to head back while we still can." His ghost asked.

"Relax. We can do this." He snuck between two legionaries standing guard under a small bridge to prove his point.

Giving up, the ghost decided he might as well be supportive. They had been through worse after all. What was sneaking passed some Cabal going to be compared to that. "Alright. lets do this partner."

The hunter took cover behind a large crate to allow a phalanx to pass by, all while smiling at his ghost's new confidence. It was a good thing he had his cloaking. The path cleared, he moved up a nearby ramp leading to a large circular gate built into the mountain. "Now to get this open." The mechanics of the gate started turning, locks unlatching, and gears spinning. "Is that you?"

"No. there's something coming from the other side."

Hearing this, Pekis stepped back unsure of what was coming. The gate halfs split open in opposite directions. Stepping out, A colossus' heavy footsteps vibrated through the ground, sending a shiver up Pekis spine. "That is one big Cabal." Pekis felt the need to take cover, and the Heavy Slug Thrower being pointed in his general direction made it worse. Luckily, the colossus wasn't aware of his presence. It continued it's patrol of the base giving the hunter a chance to slip through the gate undetected. The gate shut behind him, allow a chance to deactivate his cloaking device. "Wow."

The ghost sensed his change in tone. "Your not having second thoughts, are you?"

"Please. We got this." taking a moment to let their accomplishment sink in, Pekis thought about the weapon being carried by the colossus. 'bet mine's better.'

Traversing through the dimly lit, Cabal made tunnel, the Rubicon Wastes awaited them on the other end. An even larger complex was established. Pekis stood next to a dead tree, Cabal walls built along the mountain's horizon with the entrance at the base of it, next to another outpost. "Damn. They like to build things."

"On your right."

Looking in that direction, a large tower was seen. "What about it?"

"It's an observation tower. The Cabal use them to collect, and store information from the surrounding area. If I can getting into their computer's, I can pull everything they have on this base."

"Huh. That'll make our job easier. You sure they'll have what you say?"

"Positive."

"Good enough for me." Pekis loaded his For The People.

A psion guarding the observation tower was bored out of her mind. She hated this assignment. No action, shitty terrain, and weather. Just some rocks in the sand to kick around to entertain herself. "Someone kill me."

Pekis obliged. A burst of assault rounds exited his barrel, piercing the psion's armor, and putting her out of her misery. "One down."

The sound alerted the rest. The centurion commander stood on the tower balcony with his men moving to terminate the source. Pekis engaged them, dodging incoming fire, and motor fire from the centurion. After dropping Dropping the first two, a legionary charged him from the side, knocking him away a few yards. He rolled back up to his feet, throwing a incendiary grenade in retaliation. Another got closer, intending to throw a punch at him. With his instincts on high alert, the hunter avoid the hit, pulling out one of his pistols to blow his head off.

Using his duel shock pistols, Pekis ran for the tower, picking of the remaining Cabal along the way. Seeing the remains of his forces being killed, the centurion ran for the tower's computer, attempting to sound the alarm. A solar knife stuck itself into his shoulder armor before exploding, causing his shields to overload. The resulting explosion threw him off balance, giving Pekis time to jump up, and release a hail of arc bullets.

Shaking off his stupor, the centurion raised his projection rifle to retaliate. Pekis merely leaned to the side to avoid the incoming grenade keeping one of his pistols locked on the centurion's head. The worn helmet eventually gave in to the pressure, breaking, letting the hunter finish him with a final shot. His armored body fell heavily to the floor, giving Pekis a moment of peace. "Told you we got this."

"I'm so sorry I doubted." Pekis ghost was ashamed. Even after all his guardian has done, he still didn't have complete faith in abilities. He promised to do better. They were in this together, and they couldn't afford to have doubts. "Now then, let me at their systems."

Pekis walked over to the console. "Good thing we stopped that guy from sounding the alarm." He opened his hand, the ghost appearing to start hacking the computer.

"I'm getting a lot of data. The Blind Legion call their base The Legion's Keep, and their the ones in charge of studying the Vex on Mars, But their not the worse problem. The Siege Dancer are responsible for capturing all the land they own on mars, and their main base of operation is in an Imperial Land Tank lead by Valus Ta'aurc. They've been in a ground war with the Vex for years, studying them, and their tech, and...Wait I'm getting something."

"What?"

"I think...Yes! According to their records, the Cabal found a Vex spire in the base, and have been researching it. If I'm reading this right we should be able to use it to recharge the gate lord's eye."

"What! Really!?" Pekis took out the eye to look at it. 'At last!' The celebration was short lived. The alarm blasted. "What did you do!? I though we stopped him from sounding the alarm."

The ghost panicked looking though the system. "It wasn't us. Cabal communications are saying that Firebase Rubicon is under attack."

Pekis walked out onto the balcony, seeing troops from the nearby outpost running in the direction of the Firebase.

"I'm sending you a video feed."

Pekis look at he video. "No wonder they need reinforcements."

_ Firebase Rubicon

Kelly jumped into the air, sending a vortex grenade at a group of psions. Using her The Frenzy, the warlock moved in, clearing out the upper level of the base with balls of void fire while Bitsine worked on the lower level. "You doing okay, Bitsine!?"

"Perfect!" Bitsine Crash shotgun spit out buck shots left, and right. A psion jumped out in front of her, hopping to catch her by surprise, only to have his head taken off. "Dumbass!"

The Centurion in charge retreated to the end of the base. He couldn't believe it. It had only been a day since the last attack, and now their base was on the verge of being over run. They had to hold out until reinforcements from The Legion's Keep could arrive. "You! Get over there, and stop them!" The colossus obeyed.

Bitsine jump onto the bridge, shoulder charging the legionary standing of the edge, knocking him over the other side. "This is too easy!"

Kelly gunned down a psion on Bitsine's left. "It's not over yet!"

"No problem! These Bastards got-" A huge pack of explosions erupted where Bitsine was standing.

Kelly was pushed back by the force of them. The smoke cleared, revealing that Bitsine was vaporized. "What was That!?" Stepping into view, the colossus let out a triumphant roar, waving his gun in the air.

"That's a colossus!" Kelly's ghost warned. "Careful! They have missile launchers installed on their backs!"

"That explains it!" Kelly jumped out of the way, taking cover from the storm of bullets.

Hearing the sound of the Heavy Slug thrower put the centurion at ease. He witnessed the guardian being destroyed completely in one attack, and now the other was about to follow. "Weak, pathetic humans. What makes you think you can best us."

"If they're weak, then how did they slaughter your charge?" The Cabal looked to his side, seeing a Fallen scavenger just as it was immersed in flames. Pekis fired three shots, putting the centurion down. "No answer? That's what I thought."

"Pekis!" Kelly fired her fusion rifle, the void balls not doing much to hurt the armored colossus.

"Crap!" Pekis run up the nearby ramp, rushing for her life.

The colossus walked forward, not even hearing the nearby gunshots, continuing to burn through his ammunition. Kelly could her him getting closer, the angle of the spray getting more acute. Backing away from the corner, she got the idea to vault over the wall to outflank him. Out of the corner of his eye, the colossus spotted her, adjusting his aim to hit her as she levitated in the air. The first few slugs broke her shields, allowing the next on to wing her in the arm, breaking her concentration, sending her falling to the dirt in pain.

The colossus shook his fist wildly in the air in triumph. He managed to destroy one guardian, and soon the second would follow.

"HEY!" The colossus turned around to see who was addressing him. Pekis spun up the barrels of his gun, then held down the trigger. Seeing the Fallen standing a few yards away, his armor was suddenly taking a beating. "YEAH BABY!" The feeling of his minigun in action gave Pekis a dose of Adrenalin.

Recovering from the surprise, the colossus raised his own weapon. The two were now locked in a contest to see who would give out first. Pekis' shields held out for a while but his opponent's armor was stronger. After his shields gave out, the first slug smashed through his leg bone, dropping him to one knew. The pain was unbearable, making him whale in agony, but he held his ground. the second shot off one of his upper arms. He lost his grip, still pressing the trigger, the gun fell to the floor the Cabal's leg the only target. The hunter eventually fell, his body eviscerated, his gun's barrels slowly winding down with smoke coming out the barrel.

In the end, the colossus was barely standing. Heavily injured, and alone, armor in tatters, ammo completely spent, he could barely register his supposed win. He pondered what to do in his current condition when a flash of light caught his attention. On his side, the titian he could have sworn he vaporized in a missile barrage was back, intact with her Warpath aimed at him. "Payback." Bitsine was caught in the explosion as well.

Kelly's ghost managed to repair her arm. She got up, an echo of pain residing, when a loud detonation was heard. "What was that?!" A severed, burned Cabal arm fell in front of her.

Pekis' ghost revived him. He sat up seeing the colossus had been blown to pieces. "What did that?"

_The Legion's Keep20 Minutes Later

Inside the Cabal Base, the Blind Legion were going through the routines. They spent most of their time a analyzing recovered Vex artifacts, and golden age tech. Their most studied relic was the Vex spire they captured, and built the base around. Every moment spent was devoted to understanding the nature of the Vex, and their control over time.

Overlooking the command center inside, Primus Sha'aull stood looking down on his subordinates. He was irritated. It had been years since he first set foot on this planet. Years spent warring with the Vex, fascinating over them, trying to unlock their secrets, hoping for the day he might earn his right to go back home.

He smashed his computer. "AHHH! What is it going to take?!" For years they've tried to access the Vex network, but were no closer than they were months ago. Even with the spire in their grasp, their efforts proved fruitless. 'If only we could access their ontological abilities, we could claim this system for the Dominus.'

A centurion approached Sha'aull, interrupting his thought process. "Sir," he saluted, "we just received word that the base is under attack by a trio of guardians, and are now pressing their advance towards the spire."

"What?! How did this happen?!" Sha'aull was pissed beyond understanding. Everything he was working for could now be at risk. "Sound the alarms! I will deal with this myself."

Outside, Burning Light was on the brink of breaking through the Cabal defense. Pekis lead the charge using his minigun, clearing the center of the bridge connecting the spire to the rest of the base. Kelly, and Bitsine moved along the side, taking out Legionaries taking cover from the Fallen.

"The spire is just up ahead." Pekis ghost gazed at the spire while the hunter was busy mowing down Cabal. His radar pick up something. "We got something big is coming."

On cue, another heavy armored Cabal revealed himself. "SHIT! IT'S ANOTHER ONE!" Pekis immediately focused fire on the colossus.

"Not Again!" Kelly didn't want a repeat of last time, so she channeled her light into a void bomb, hurling it at the cabal, obliterating it.

Bitsine just finished taking out her Warpath. "Ahh, I wanted to do it."

"You got the last one."

"Yeah, but I died so I didn't get to see it."

"Well the next one going to be mine." Pekis ran past them, switching to his Calling rifle so he wouldn't be slowed down. "Come on! We're almost there!"

The guardians fought their way up a slop, and soon were face to face with their goal. Connected to research equipment by large cables with bronze circular shaped disc at it's base, a Vex structure that would grant them the access they needed. After finishing of the remaining resistance, they took time to explore the surrounding area. "So this is the spire." Pekis said.

"This is it." Pekis' ghost responded. "With it, we can charge the eye."

"How?" Bitsine circled the construct, tracing her hand along the exterior. She couldn't understand it. As far as she could tell it was mainly made up of stone with some exposed electronics. "I don't see any kind of interface."

"There has to be one." Kelly brought out her ghost. "Can you scan the spire?"

"No problem." The ghost floated next to structure, emitting a beam of light at the disc. Expanding his body, the ghost sent out a pulse of energy. "I got it. There's a conduit for the spire there."

Turning their attention, the guardians set their sights on a small pedestal holding a hallowed column. "Okay then." Pekis walked over to the pedestal, kneeling down he noticed that the hole lined up perfectly with the disc on the spire. "So now what?"

"Insert the eye with the lens facing the spire."

Pekis did as the ghost said, being careful not to damage it, giving it a good twist to lock it in place. "One eye, one conduit, and one spire. That should be everything."

A minute passed, Bitsine tapped her fingers impatiently waiting for something to happen. "Isn't something supposed to be happening? You better not have broken it, Pekis."

"Why the hell would I? Ghost, are you sure this thing is suppo-" A bright beam of light shot out of the spire, connecting it with the eye. "WHOA! That's bright."

Kelly, and Bitsine backed away as the light died down. A straight line of line was Vex energy was now clear to see. "Now that is something!" Bitsine watched with renewed interest.

Kelly was also intrigued, and excited. She was quite possibly one of the very few warlocks to witness such an event. Her enthusiasm was well founded when the top of the construct broke apart into cubes revealing a rectangular Vex key in the center. "That will definitely require further study."

Primus Sha'aull gathered every reserve guard the base could spare before setting out to deal with the intruders. Backed with a platoon of thirty, Sha'aull leaded them to the last know location they were seen heading. Unlocking the door, the Primus expected to see the guardians hacking into their computer systems, or attempting to breaking into the deeper part of the base, but what he saw was beyond anything he'd seen before.

Stepping out into the martian sunlight, the Cabal were awestruck by the new unlocked spire. Sha'aull couldn't believe it. 'How could they access it so easily?' The Blind Legion never came close to this. But somehow these guardians, who have never been here before, were able to do it.

The cubes surrounding the key evaporated, and the key itself turned into data. The show over, Sha'aull remember why they were there. Getting his focus back, he realized that this phenomenon could prove beneficial for them. The guardians were snapped out of their trance by the sound of a thundering declaration. "I WANT ONE OF THEM ALIVE!" Sha'aull propelled himself with his jets, slamming the ground.

"What the?" Bitsine was blown away by a strong shockwave.

The dust clearing, Pekis could clearly see the culprit. Taking aim, Pekis manage a few head shots before Sha'aull's minions reacted. The Cabal swarmed the field, taking positions around their leader. The hunter stayed at a elevated position, sniping the battlefield.

Kelly, being the closest to Sha'aull, was the first to be targeted. A large shadow loomed over her. The Primus reached out, wanting to grab her by the neck, To squeeze out every bit of what she knew. She jumped back, avoiding the large hand, taking out her Culling machine gun. Before she got a shot off, legionaries jumped in the way, shielding Sha'aull from the heavy round. Seeing his men dropped like that bolstered his resolve. He charge, ignoring the hail he was receiving, and landed a blow to her side.

Kelly hit the ground limp, the pain to much for her to bare for the moment. Helpless for the time being, there was nothing she could to fend of the Primus.

Pekis finished killing several Cabal when Kelly's screams could be heard. The hunter could only feel unbridled Fallen rage at seeing his mate being manhandled.

The pain subsiding, the warlock punched, and thrashed, trying to pry of the hand around her throat. "Let...Go!"

"Tell me! How did you access the spire?!" He tightened his grip. "Tell me!"

Kelly would have told him to go fuck himself, but her oxygen supply was being cut off. Sha'aull shook her violently, to rage driven to figure out what he was doing. Without warning, a four armed creature latched onto his arm, impaling a energy blade through his elbow, electrifying him. "HANDS OFF!"

Bitsine returned in time to Pekis giving his to the Primus. "Holy shit!" The remaining soldiers tried desperately to pull Pekis off, but the Fallen was not letting go until he did. She switch to her Thunderlord, taking the bastards by surprise.

Not getting anywhere, Pekis brought down his second arc blade, cutting through his wrist, severing it. Kelly fell, taking her helmet off, gasping for air. His arm rendered useless, Sha'aull used his other to grabbed Pekis by the head. Before Pekis could cut through his second hand, Sha'aull ripped him off, not caring about the blade still in his arm, and threw him at the pedestal. Hitting his head, Pekis was too disoriented to get back up.

Sha'aull wasn't sure he was going to survive. Half his arm was all, but removed. He was alone with no help coming. To make things worse for him, Pekis threw his second blade into his knee cap, immobilizing him. Sha'aull could only howl in pain, the electricity frying him from the inside out, and losing to much blood. His world started darkening, all sense of feeling disappearing. No strength left, The Primus of the Blind Legion hit the ground with a mighty thud.

Kelly recovered, pulling her helmet off to get fresh air. "That is unpleasant."

"Told you." Pekis recovered as well. "Ghost, please tell me it's finished."

"Yes, he's dead."

"Not him. the eye."

"Oh. One second." The ghost materialized to scan the eye. "Yup. One fully charge gate lord's eye right here."

The ghost transmated it into Pekis' hand. He held it in front of his face, the glowing red optic staring back at him. "About time."


	24. Chapter 24

Midnight Somewhere

Pekis found himself in a clearing outside in the dark. "Where am I?" scanning his surroundings, not recognizing any visible land marks. The night sky being pitch black, aside from the crescent moon looming overhead, their wasn't much lighting for him to use. Paying closer attention, some nearby silhouettes could be made out. He couldn't be sure what they were until a gust of wind blew past. The sound of rustling leaves surrounded him on all side. "A forest?" Taking some steps, Pekis heard the grass being crushed under his weight. Rubbing a hand on a silhouette, some bark chipped off.

"Trees. Ghost, can you tell where we are?" No response. "Ghost, can you hear me?...Ghost? Ghost?" Nothing. padding his body, realizing he didn't have his armor either. Just his skin suit, not even a pistol to go with it. He was alone... in the dark. "Now what?" Deciding to move on, tree branches blocked out what little moonlight there was. The hunter was forced to rely on his sense of smell, and hearing to navigate the dark, as well as the dim blue glow of his eyes.

Pekis had no Idea how long it been. This darkness practically took away all sense of time. Even his sense were beginning to grow null, resulting in a few collisions. "What is this?!" He started to feel suffocated. This was different than what he was warned about. This was not the darkness he was told about by the Speaker. It was something else. It wasn't the malevolent force that empowered the Hive, and corrupted people. This dark was cold, lifeless sucking away at him. It couldn't be called evil, or good, it simply was.

Pekis was afraid now. He was alone, unable to find his way with the dark with it's grasp draining away at him. The dark started getting thicker, hiding everything expect the tree at Pekis' back until he was all that was left. "Hello?! HELLO?!" His whole being shivered uncontrollably. He never experienced anything like it. What was this? Was this the end? Shutting his eyes, all that he could do was wait.

"Peekis." A distant sounding voice spoke.

"What?" Pekis voice quivered. The darkness around was still there. "Damn thing is screwing with me. just leave me in peace." He shut his eyes again.

"Peekis!" The voice grew louder.

Pekis' eyes snapped open. "Hello? Is someone there?" The darkness slowly faded, returning to it's previous state. "Hello?!" For a time only the sound of the howling wind filled the air.

"PEEKIS!" The voice screeched in pain.

Pekis was on full alert. "Where are you?!" He looked all around him, desperate to find the source. "Tell me where you are! I'll come Find you!"

"PEEKIS!" Out of nowhere, the forest lit up, engulfed in green burning fire.

Pekis jumped, the heat from the tree at his back burning through his suit. "What is this! (cough)" The smoke poisoned the air.

"PEEKIS!" Directly in front, a path formed, a Bright orange light at the end.

"(cough) I'M COMING!" Pekis ran as fast as his legs could carry, the path closing behind him. Dodging falling branches, and embers as best he could, the air proved to be the more immediate problem. But non the less, he pressed on. He didn't know why. He didn't know who it was, why they knew him, or even why he cared. All he knew was that for some reason he had an overwhelming need to save them.

His hair singed, his suit torn by falling wood, the heat threatened to make him pass out. But he was numbed to all of it. The light ahead glowed brighter, and brighter. Pekis reached his hand out, hoping to grab who ever it was, only to be halted by the intense brightness blinding him. "PEEKIS!"

"I'M (cough) Coming!" Try as he might, the hunter couldn't get passed the light blocking him. He pushed, and pressed but was to weak to succeeded. "(cough, cough) I'm coming." Pekis grew weaker, the smoke severally inhibiting his air supply. With all his remaining strength, he focused all his light, illuminating his body to the point where it overpowered every other light their was. At that point, the hunter stood as the lone beacon for the Traveler in that dark realm. Strength returning, and the full power of the light unleashed, Pekis could feel the light before him shift around, granting him passage.

His resolve emboldened, Their was nothing left stopping him. Pekis sensed the end of the light drawing closer, spurring him on. With one last push Pekis breached the end, his light drained, he found himself at the edge of a clearing. In the center, tied to a wooden post, a Fallen female dressed in yellow robes cried out to him. "PEEKIS!"

"It's that woman again!" Seeing her struggle to free herself, Pekis tried to come to her aid, but was swatted away. Rolling across the ground, he came to a stop when he hit a tree. Lifting himself off the ground, he scanned the area for whoever else was their. Then stepping of the shadows, a kell sized Fallen seemingly made of darkness itself revealed himself.

"Is that?" Looking closer, Pekis recognized the armor, and dark look in his eyes. "It him!"

The Kell waved his hand, holding a green burning flame in his palm. Embers falling to the ground, igniting the dead grass his presence stripped of life. A trail of fire formed, leading to the trapped Fallen who was now more desperate than ever. "Burn." The kell said coldly.

"NO!" Pekis sprang into action. Running on reserves, a single sword of light was created in hand. Driving it into the ground, Pekis focused his remaining light into making a trench. A torrent of light blasted through the Earth, blowing away dirt, fire and darkness alike. The light burned so bright, the Kell was forced back into the shadows.

The Fallen thought it would be the end off her when Pekis' light cut off the income flames, encircling her, protecting her from further. The fear melted away by the warm radiance of the Traveler's light.

The deed done, Pekis' sword vanished. His supplies drained, the hunter could do no more than lie there under the night sky. "I did it." A sense of accomplishment filled him, having save the women, he though that would be the end of it. However that was not the case.

The Kell reappeared out of the darkness, teleporting to Pekis in a puff of smoke before stepping on him. Pekis was helpless, having used every thing he had into protecting her, he could only cry out in pain as the kell adjusted his footing, and pressure on him. "You think you saved her?! You are nothing!" The kell kick him away, sending him flying. Pekis hit the ground hard. Before he caught his breath, he was lifted up by his leg, looking upside into the black eyes of his opponent. "You could never save her!" Pekis was thrown in the opposite direction, landing on chest he tried to lift himself back up but was forced back down by a familiar weight. "You were too weak! Did you really think you could change anything!"

He pick Pekis up by his neck. Try as he might, the hunter couldn't pry the large fingers off him. "Observe." Raising one of his other hands, All the darkness was channeled into a single point in the sky, forming a ball of burning blackness.

"No, NO!" Pekis was really thrashing around now. "Who are you?!"

"I was your beginning, and I WILL be your end!" He clenched his fingers, signaling the orb to expand uncontrollably, engulfing everything in it's path. The Fallen who thought she was safe was the first. The light surrounding her pulsed as it tried to fend of the attack, but ultimately shattered. Knowing the end was near, she closed her eyes, then was consumed as well.

"DAAAMMMMNNNN YOOOOUUUUU!"

_ MidnightEarth, The Last City, Tower

Pekis snapped awake, heart pounding so load he could hear it. Opening his eyes, the room he slept in was still dark. 'Just a dream.' They seemed to be getting worse. Pekis found himself waking up in the middle of night more often, or not getting any sleep at all. Sometimes it was like they were more than that. Like something in him was trying to claw away at his psyche. 'What is wrong with me?'

Thinking back a few weeks, he remember what the Stranger had told him. 'While the light burns strongly within you, there is a small sliver of darkness clouding your mind.'

'Is that what it is?' As Pekis though about it, the more it made sense. The dark theme of his dreams, the presence of hopelessness, and failure. 'It wants me to give up. To stop fighting, but I can't. We're so close now.' The finish line was on the horizon. They had the eye, the garden's location, all that was left was a step through space, and time.

Becoming more aware of his surroundings, Pekis felt a weight pressing down on his right arms. Kelly was still fast asleep, her body facing him while two arms wrapped around her. Pekis was content, knowing she was there. Since they started sharing a bed together, he found his nights getting more peaceful for him. But he had to admit it was little small for the two of them at once, and even with her by his side, it wasn't enough to fully quite his mind. lifting his upper left arm, he allowed his claws to gently caress the orange-red hair that covered her head. Judging by the serene sound coming from her, she was enjoying the feeling.

Turning on his side, Pekis did his best to slowly remove his arms from under her. In his position, it was relatively difficult to do so. His upper arm was the first to be free, his hand still holding up her head to carefully lower it onto the pillow. The lower arms proved less difficult, since it wasn't needed to hold up her body. Clenching his fists, the blood started to flow back properly. Looking down at the girl beneath, joyfulness swelled in him. leaning forward, his snout dug into her hair. "I'll be back." With one last sniff, he climbed over her, getting off the bed.

Pekis made sure to cover her up with the blanket before taking off. Making soft footsteps, he made his way out the door, transmating his armor on after shutting it behind him. Going up, the elevator stopped at the hanger floor. Waking out, the sound of working machinery rang in his ears. The Tower hanger was one of the parts that worked nonstop. Walking by, engineers working on ship repairs greeted him, knowing all he had done for them, or kept their distance, not being able to fully trust a Fallen. "Seems like opinions on me are still mixed." Pekis remarked. "I figured more people would be more accepting me by now."

"It could be worse." Pekis' ghost said. "We could be back at the Reef, and watch your people beat each other up over what to consider a "houseless" like you to be."

Pekis chuckled, trying his best to put up a happy face, but still felt a ping of regret. Thinking back to his previous visit, Pekis was reminded of how far his people had fallen. Centuries of unjust bloodshed leading to what? House Devils leadership broken, House Wolves lost their freedom, and now served the Reef. Even when one of their own had reclaim the light, they can't help, but fight against him instead of rethinking their actions.

Pekis walked past a sweeper frame, entering the hall leading to the courtyard. Lost in thought, he didn't notice the two guardians coming his way. At the last minute, he tried to move to the side so they could past each other when the Human titian shoved him. "Hey, watch it asshole!"

"Why don't you learn to get out of the way you piece of shit bug!" The titian spat back with venom in his mouth.

"The fuck did you just call me?!" Pekis said turning back around to face him.

"You heard me you scavenging Fallen Bitch! Who the fuck do you think you are, walking around here like your one of us?! In case you didn't notice, animals aren't allowed on the Tower!"

"You think your hot shit, or something, talking like that to me?!" Pekis stepped closer, not backing down.

The Awoken hunter grabbed the titian by the shoulder. "Come on, Leroy, he hasn't done anything to us."

Leroy pushed him off. "Since when are you a bug hugger, Iqul?! You know what his kind are like! The vanguard should of had him put down like a rabid dog! Whatever stupid ass ghost decided to bring him back must have been a real defect!"

Pekis was about to lung at him for that when his ghost popped in front of him. "Well this "defect" is wondering what kind of ghost would bring you back!" Pekis' ghost was completely pissed.

Leroy's ghost appeared not liking the situation. "Hey, hey, come on! we're all on the same team." she said. "Can't we just get along?"

"Stay out of this, Maya!" He push her out of the way. "We got a defective traitor in front of us!" Leroy charged his fist with electricity, taking a swing at Pekis' ghost, going for the kill.

"LEROY! DON'T!" Iqul tried to grab his arm to stop him, but wasn't quick enough.

The frame standing a few feet away from the ordeal, recorded what was going on. "Frame Alexander 99-40, requesting security."

Pekis ghost, seeing the incoming punch, thought it might be it when a large, three finger hand block the attack. Enraged, Pekis grabbed Leroy's fist, protecting his ghost from harm. Ignoring the pain from electrical strike, he raise his other arm into the air, forming an arc sword in it. Pulling Leroy toward him, Pekis brought down his sword, severing Leroy's arm at the upper end in a flash of arc light.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Leroy fell to the ground squirming in pain. "YOU FUCKING FOUR EYED BASTARD!"

Pekis dropped the limp to the ground, impaling it to allow his power to vaporize it. "Shut up! your ghost will bring it back in a few seconds!"

True to his word, Maya completely healed him (After waiting a few seconds as payback for trying to kill her brother). The titian got back up, wanting to get revenge. "Your gonna pay-"

Having enough of him, Iqul grabbed Leroy, slamming him against the wall, and holding him there with his forearm at his throat. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!"

"YOU KNOW DAMN-"

A hand cannon shot rang in their ears. Turning around Pekis saw a squad of security Frames lead by a single hunter holding a hand cannon in the air. "Cease, and desist, guardians! What is the meaning of this?!"

"That prick tried to kill my ghost. That's what happened." Pekis said, lowering his guard.

The hunter shifted his focus to the titian pinned against the wall by another hunter. Walking over, he spoke to his fellow hunter. "Is this true?"

Iqul was hesitant to answer. What Leroy did was inexcusable, but he was still in the same fire team as him. They've been through so much together, and even fought side by side at Twilight Gap. But even with all that, he couldn't risk the chance that he could try something like that again. Iqul sighed, "Yes, sir."

"If I may." The guardians turned to see a frame addressing them. "I have recorded the event in my memory banks."

"So did I." Pekis' ghost said appearing by his side.

"Us as well." Iqul's, and Leroy's ghosts said in unison.

"Maya, what are you-"

"Shut up!" Maya couldn't even look at him.

Taking time to look at each piece of footage, all evidence pointed to Leroy attempting to destroy Pekis' ghost, and Pekis responded only to protect him. Leroy's defense, if it could be called that, was that Pekis' ghost was a defect that brought a Fallen pirate into the City, and had to be destroyed before he snuck more Fallen in. "Take him away." The Frames placed special light resistant restraints on his arms before escorting him to a cell. As he walked past, Leroy held his head down in shame. "Your a disgrace." He turned his attention back to his fellow hunters. "As for you two, your free to go."

"What going to happen to him?" Iqul asked, concerned for his friend's fate.

"That will be up to the vanguard. Although I don't think he will be tasting freedom for a while." He turned to follow the Frames under his command. "Oh, and one more thing."

The hunter stopped to look at Pekis, who in turn looked back. 'Oh, great. Another round of slurs."

"You have impressive light guardian. I see why Sepiks fell to you." With that, the hunter move on, leaving his colleagues to their devices.

That complement took Pekis by surprise. A snide remark about his race would have been expected, but that was completely sincere. Snapping out of it, Pekis remember why all that just happened. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you." Without warning, the ghost press himself against Pekis' neck "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I thought I was going to die!"

"Hey, hey, stop that. No need for that. What else was I going to do? Let him destroy you?" Pekis was embarrassed considering that Iqul was watching. He grabbed the ghost in his hand, and pulled him away.

Iqul laughed at the sight. He couldn't remember the last time he saw a ghost do that with his guardian. Much less with a Fallen. 'No, not a Fallen. An Eliksni.' Feeling ashamed for what happened, he wanted to apologize. "I'm sorry for, Leroy. He's been through a lot."

"You don't have to apologize." Pekis replied. "You tried to stop him, so that already says a lot."

"What about about Maya?" Iqul's ghost appeared obviously worried about what his sister was going to do now.

"She'll probably stay with, Leroy, for now, Remnant. But after what he tried, I don't know."

'him too?' Pekis hadn't heard of a ghost with a name before. "Your ghosts have names?"

"Yeah. I named mine, Remnant, because I always saw the ghosts at the last remnants of the Traveler. Why? Haven't you named your ghost?"

"No. I didn't even know Guardians did that."

"Its not that uncommon. A lot of guardians give their ghosts names. Leroy named his after a friend he had long ago." Speaking of Leroy, Iqul remembered he had to do something. "Sorry, but I got to go. I need to let our teammate what happened."

"Okay. I got to go too. Thanks for the chat." Pekis turned around, heading back to the courtyard. On the way, new possibilities popped into his head.

"If your going to name me, it'd better be a good one." Pekis' ghost told him.

"What? Who said I was going to name you?"

"I can tell you're thinking about it."

"Well luckily for you I can't think of anything." Getting outside, Pekis walked to the far edge of the railing to the side. He sat down on top, leaning his back against the support column, propping his left leg on the railing as well, leaving his right leg on he floor to balance himself. Pekis looked out, admiring the view of the shinning city under the night sky.

"Sightseeing again I see."

"Yup." It was always soothing for Pekis. It gave him just what he needed to contemplate on things. Thinking about their time on Mars, Pekis took out the now charged eye. Staring into the red optic, he could barely make out his own reflection. "So this is what its all been leading to."

"What do you mean? The constant battles with killer robots, and undead, or the fact that you brought me along for the ride?"

Pekis opened his palm, his ghost showing up in it as usual, and gave him a good knock with the eye. "You know what I mean."

"Ouch. You save my life, then you hit me five minutes later? What kind of guardian are you?"

"He-he, that's a question I still ask myself." Pekis looked back out at the city, then looked up at the god that hovered over it. Looking at it, he became entrance. Just what could it be thinking right now? Could the Traveler even see him sitting, or is it mute to everything in the world? "Ghost...why did to bring me back?"

"What?" The ghost what not expecting that.

"That day you found me in the Cosmodrome, you didn't have to revive me. After everything my kind has done, you had no reason to trust me. I could have attack you, or gone back to one of the Fallen houses. You could have just could have just left me there, and found someone else. So why?" Pekis' tone was completely serious.

Pekis' ghost stayed where he was. He could tell Pekis wanted an honest answer, but was unsure what to say. He floated past the tower edge, looking up at the being that created him with its last breath. As he pondered what to say, he remember all those years he searched. The years he spent scouring the system, searching for him, avoiding the darkness' minions all the while. Then when he finally found him, Pekis turned out to be last thing he would have expected. "I was born the moment the Traveler died. As everything collapsed around us. Before that day, there had never been a ghost. There had never been a guardian. I don't know much about the Traveler, but I know it made me to bring you back. And I spent a really, really long time searching for you. The Cosmodrome? Not the first place I Looked. As I saw the other ghosts find their guardians, and the centuries went by, I wondered if i'd ever find you. And then, I did. And Fallen, or not, I wasn't going to abandon you."

Tears dripped from Pekis mandibles. That was more of an answer than he could have asked. His resolve renewed, the fire that burned within grew. Pekis didn't know what he had before he died, but he knew what he had now. The friends he made, the accomplishments he'd done, The future he's helping fight for. Whatever answers lied in that garden wouldn't change what he had made of himself. Wiping away the tears, he took a deep breath before replying, his voice slightly breaking "Thank you."

Eventually they returned to their room. Pekis transmated his armor off before stepping in.

By that time, Kelly was beginning to awaken. She first felt something was off when she no longer felt the warmth radiating of Pekis' body. Only the faint echo of his body heat where he slept. "Pekis?" She ran her hand over his side of the bed thinking maybe he just moved.

Three fingers caressed her shoulder, causing her to stiffen. "I'm right here."

Kelly looked up, four glowing eyes looking down at her. "Where did you go?" she asked groggy.

"Went outside to think. Nothing serious." Pekis decided to leave out the fight he was in. He didn't want to worry her.

Kelly lifted herself up to give him a tender kiss. "Well get back in bed. I need you to help me sleep."

"Okay." Pekis half groaned. As much as he liked feeling her touch, it was still a bit cramped for the two of them to share the same bed, especially for him. He remembered something Kelly said during one of their last conversations, then it hit him. "Just give me a minute." Pekis dropped on all 6's, having his ghost emit a low level light to examine the bed frames better.

This new action woke Kelly up more. She turned on her side to look over the bed's edge, seeing Pekis wrap a hand around one of the supports holding it up. "What are you doing?"

"Getting an idea." It was clear to Pekis now that their was nothing beside gravity holding the beds to the floor. Standing up again, he gently push her on her back, not wanting her to fall off the bed. The look of confusion she had was apparent. "Bear with me." With all four arms, Pekis lifted one side of the bed, prompting Kelly of grab the edge to avoid sliding off the other side.

"What are you-" Pekis began pulling the bed, the metal supports scraping the floor, creating a loud, ear popping screech. After reaching the middle of the room, he lowered the bed to the floor, and let go. The sound Kelly just heard still rang in her ears. "What was that about?"

Pekis leaned down to give her another kiss. "don't worry. You gave me the idea." He walked to the other side of the room, this time grabbing Kelly's bed, and dragging it to the center, the same loud screech returning. Pekis now stood in the gap between the two beds when he felt a nice, firm smack on his behind. "Hey!"

Kelly couldn't help herself. "If your going keep making this much noise, we're never going to get any sleep."

Pekis waddled out of the gap, rubbing the buttock that got smacked. "From what I heard about human customs, I though the men were suppose to do that?"

It was too dark for Pekis to see the smile that Kelly was making. "Well... Maybe you should have thought of that before sticking your nice ass in my face. You could bounce a coin off that thing."

"He-he, maybe in the morning." Pekis walked around to the other side of Kelly's bed, and gave it a good push, closing the gap. "There we go." Pekis climbed into bed, enjoying the extra space they now had.

"So that was your plan?" Kelly moved closer to him, navigating through the two sets of blankets they now used, and snuggled up to him.

"I do remember when you said that you wanted to "Join our beds together." I figured it was about time we did that." Pekis wrapped two of his arms around her.

"You know it wasn't suppose to be so literal. Just a way of saying I wanted to get you naked in bed."

"Well you got me there, and on the floor."

_ MeanwhileFormer House of Kings Lair, Unknown Location

The corridors of the Former Kings lair that were once filled with advance equipment, and numerous Fallen scurrying about, were now vacant. Since Peldaks' decree, the Kings work tirelessly to move everything of value to the new site they would now use as their lair.

The evacuation protocol was created years ago in the event of their base being discovered by their enemies. Created following a near coup d'etat decades ago that was instigated by a ex-baron that had dangerous ideas. Ideas that were especially bad for the current leadership.

Their new base itself was generally consider even better than the previous. An old pre-collapse advanced underground military base found years ago following the failed coup. When originally discovered, many Kings thought they were going to make it their new home, but their Kell declared that they would only keep it hidden, and set aside for an emergency such as this. Not that he had any problems with it, It was just that the lair they were already using was good enough to not have to move, and if they were ever discovered they would have an even better position to fall back to.

Currently, there was plenty of remaining supplies that need to be transported to the ketch being used for transport. Barons oversaw their transport, ordering the legions of lower Fallen under their command. The most important apparatus, such as computers, data, walkers, servitors, prototype schematics, etc., were the first to go. Ether, food, water, and other necessities were next, leaving weapons, and personnel to go last.

In the former ether production camber, Pivraks, the Archon Priest, was gathing his remaining tools that he required to maintain, Fakiks Prime. All the while the prime itself overlooked the transport of the remaining ether supplies. Stuffing the tools into a duffel bag, Pivraks, hooked the bag onto his waist, and stood up. Turning around, he saw a squad of vandals leaving with some containers of ether. 'Everything is moving smoother than I expected.'

Pivraks look around, the new emptiness of the camber disturbed him. He knew why it had to be done, he's the one who suggested it, but still. From the day he was born, this place had always been the one he always called home. Doing a final walkthrough, he thought back to his days as a simple vandal studying under his predecessor before her untimely death at the hands of a team of guardians. 'Master, perhaps this could have been avoided if you were still here.' The old feeling of sorrow came back to him.

With the last of the ether removed, Fakiks turns it's attention to it's archon. Approaching, Fakiks' large purple optic became increasingly obvious to Pivraks. Hovering just a few feet away, the prime made a series of electronic noises, and adjusting it's outer shell before speaking in a monotone voice. "All ether supplements successfully transported. Further directives?"

While smaller Fallen might be intimidated by speaking to such a large, important servitor, Pivraks was completely fine talking to it. "Move to the ketch, and ensure safe transport of cargo. I will be there shortly."

Acknowledging, Fakiks activating the build in teleporter in it's chassis, and was gone. His work there done, Pivraks made one last trip to his quarters. Stepping through the door, every one of his personal effects had been moved as he requested. All except for one thing. Tucked away in the corner, the box he stored his collecting of trinkets waited for him. He did not trust anyone else handling it. Picking it up, he looked inside making sure nothing was taken. Rummaging around he found the animal doll he gave to his mate years ago. Pivraks made a deep sigh, "Vistres."

Putting the doll back, Pivraks continue look through the contents. He memorized everything he put in, and so far everything was accounted for. Shutting the lid, he was about to leave when he remember one last thing. Reopening the container, he rummaged through the inside again, looking for something he did not see the first time. His heart beated faster, and faster, until he found it. picking it out with two fingers, a reminder of the last thing he had left of Vistres. "Why did you have to leave?"

Peldaks stood high on top the bridge of the ketch that he name long ago The Sovereign. The time for departure was at hand. The House of Kings did not need to worry about being tracked, or followed thanks to the stealth shielding that Pivraks, and Fakiks developed together. The last of the supplies had been put into cargo, Fakiks was safely secure on board, and all personal except for one were accounted for. All that was left was to wait for Pivraks to return, and they would leave.

Peldaks stared out the large window of the bridge, the wasteland of Old Russia stretching as far as the eye could see. While some of the Fallen that were leaving were saddened to leave what had been their home for years, or overjoyed that they were going somewhere new, Peldaks felt none of that. In his eyes, the fires of anger, and hate burned. For he, the Kell of Kings, to be forced into making a move like this was unthinkable.

The sounds of footsteps behind him broke his focus. Behind him, Peldaks' son stood before him bowing his head. "Report."

"Lord Pivraks has boarded, father. There is nothing left keeping us here."

With a low growl, Peldaks walked past Paskin, his destination being the pilot servitor that guided the ship. How Paskin referred to Pivraks as lord, made Peldaks itch. He didn't like someone other than him being called that, but would never make a big deal about it. Standing in front of the servitor, Peldaks spoke. "Begin take off." With that the ship's engine fired, Rocking The Sovereign, and causing some to lose balance.

Peldaks sat down onto his chair overlooking the bridge, and crew manning it. Thinking about what he was doing, his thoughts turned back to the one he claimed to be responsible. 'He was suppose to stay dead.' Peekis had proven himself to be a greater threat than he once was. Now revived by the power of a god, the House of Kings' victory over humanity could never be realized until he was gone once again.

Peldaks laughed, all the trials he faced, the enemies he slain, the battles he won, and it all came down to one traitor's defeat. 'Is this a test, Great Machine? Did you bring him back to test my determination?' He leaned forward, interlocking his fingers together. "I will cement my victory, my title, and all will bow to me. I am Peldaks, the Kell of Kings, and he will fall to me again." Peldaks glanced at his son, who was distributing orders to a group of captains. "WHATEVER it costs."


	25. Chapter 25

Several Hours later, MorningEarth, The Last City, Tower

Pekis was waking from his slumber. His senses returning to him, the pillow his face was stuffed in was obvious to him. Turning his head to the side, the hunter allowed his nostrils to breath in fresh air. His eyes opening, he was not bothered by the light coming through the window curtains. Since Eliksni evolved to have glowing eyes they had a higher tolerance to light levels. Lifting his head, his body got a good stretch before becoming aware of the mass next to him.

Kelly was on her side, hugging her pillow. The blanket that use to cover her had been discarded off the bed, exposing the suit she wore under her armor. Still asleep, mumble words escaped her lips, her arms tightening around the pillow.

Rolling onto his back, Pekis' mandibles split open to let out a yawn. "Morning." Pekis' Ghost said, alert as always.

Sealing his mandibles shut, Pekis responded. "Morning. How was your night."

"Pretty good. I managed to beat Kelly's Ghost in 12 matches of War of Light and Dark." The ghost's tone turned less cheerful. "It was almost 13, but he manage to route my forces at Twilight gap." He materialized so he could whisper in Pekis' ear. "I think he might have cheated on that one."

It didn't work. "Hey!" Kelly's Ghost appeared. "It's not my fault you decided to move your walkers off the mountain side where they were the most effective at keeping my tanks at bay. You practically begged me to plant my artillery guns there."

Pekis' Ghost floated directly in front of his brother, their eyes only inches away. "There is no way you could have known that I moved them. Non of your forces were in visual range, and I sure didn't tell you."

"I don't need to cheat! I logged plenty of hours to know the game like the back of my shell."

"Then why don't you explain how you knew?"

"A good commander doesn't share secrets with the enemy."

"Cheater." Kelly's Ghost pushed forward, knocking Pekis' back. "Ow."

"Serves you right." Kelly's Ghost stated in a matter of fact tone. A hand grabbed him, pulling him down where he was met with Kelly deep blue eyes. "Oh."

"Why you!" Before Pekis' Ghost could retaliate, Pekis grabbed him.

"Will you stop! I don't even know what your talking about!" Pekis was angry. This was not how he wanted to start his day.

"And why did I wake up to see my Ghost hitting another Ghost." Kelly was not in the mood either. Working the kinks out of her bones, she sat up waiting to hear his excuse.

The two Ghosts shrank inside their shells. They were use to their guardians focusing their aggression on others, but to be the ones they were focused on was completely new to them, and it was scary. "We-we were talking about a Real Time Strategy warfare game called War of Light and Dark. It used to be a warfare simulation program made by the Future War Cult to experiment with using different strategies against the City's enemies until they created a more advanced version. After that, the old version was modified, and open to use by anyone, and is real popular with Ghosts."

Pekis rubbed his forehead. "Your telling me this is about a game!?"

"And where exactly does the accusation of cheating, and hitting come from?" Kelly's gaze did not light up. It was terrifyingly clear to her Ghost that she wanted the truth.

"Well, um, There might have been a glitch during the match that I took advantage of."

"A glitch?" Pekis Ghost did a diagnostic scan of the game's software from last night. It seemed there was a bug in the system that allow him to see the positions of his army even when he shouldn't. "How could I not have noticed."

"You tell me." Pekis asked. "Aren't you suppose to be the super smart ghost." His mandibles formed a slight smile. "He-he, Or maybe you really are defect." Pekis captain's helmet formed over his head before gravity took effect. "Ow!" He let his ghost go so he could toss his helmet off the bed, and rub his head in pain.

"Don't ever call a Ghost a defect!" Pekis' Ghost was pissed. It was incredibly offensive to Ghosts to say something like that. The Traveler spent its last breath create a race of highly intelligent, living constructs of light to search for those to do what it can no longer do. It poured everything it had into their creation to ensure the best possible results, and would not have settled for anything less.

"Yeah, who do you think you are!?" Kelly's Ghost transmated her helmet over him.

"Ow! alright, alright, I get it!" Pekis was getting a headache.

"Serves you right." Kelly's Ghost felt a ping of accomplishment until Kelly herself hit him against the metal bed frame. "Ow!"

"Don't do that to him! Apologize!"

"But he-"

"Now!"

The Ghost shied away in his shell as Kelly brought him to Pekis face. He was still rubbing his head, luckily his hair provided a bit of cushioning. The Ghost avoided eye contact with him for a few seconds, then stopped. "Sorry."

"Good." Kelly let him go. "Now you two make up."

Pekis gave his Ghost a stern look, telling him to do so as well. The sibling light constructs floated in front of each other, looking away from each other, only taking short glance as they tried to think of what to say. Kelly's was the first to speak. "Sorry." His voice was low, and full of shame. "It was just suppose to be a game."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have taken it so seriously."

The two guardians sat back in relief. They never thought they would see what two Ghosts fight would be like. Pekis couldn't help but think, 'Over a fucking game.' "Don't you two ever sleep?"

"Not really." His Ghost told him.

"Well rather than fighting, Why don't you settle it with a rematch?"

The Ghosts stared at each other with wide eyes. "I'm Fallen this time!" Pekis' Ghost said with excitement.

"Your on!"

The two Ghost vanished, leaving their guardians alone in bed. "Glad that ended well." Kelly laid her head back on the pillow. She was still feeling drowsy, and waking up to stop a fight was not helpful.

Pekis stayed awake, knowing they had a big day ahead of them. Taking the eye out, Pekis remembered it was the key to getting the answers he needed. "The day is finally here." The hunter caressed her side.

Not opening her eyes, Kelly said "Yes it is." Pekis' hand felt good to her, even the tips of his claws grazing her. "Can you go a little lower?" Doing as she asked, Pekis shifted to her lower back. "Ohhh, That's the spot." Kelly stretched her body on reflex.

"I aim to please." scooching closer on his side, Pekis continued his movements, switching to his other hand. The sounds Kelly was making soothed him. The low, drawn-out moans followed by deep breaths. Continuing, his hand would touch the curve of her rear every now, and again, creating dirty thoughts in his head. "You know we still have a few hours before he have to go." He stopped his actions, wrapping two arms around her stomach before pressing his chest against her back. "This might be our last chance for all we know."

It plainly oblivious to Kelly what he was aiming for. She thought about saying no, the need for more sleep still presence. Then he stuffed his snout into her hair, taking in long deep sniffs of her concentrated scent. Liking what he was doing, she moved the hair covering her neck, encouraging him for skin on skin contact. Pekis took the chance, pushing his face against her skin, liking the smoothness of it as he rubbed against it. Kelly on the other hand felt the natural roughness of Fallen skin.

His skin was just a she remembered it. It wasn't bad enough to do any real damage to her, but still gave her quivers. It was a good thing he was taking it slow, wanting her to enjoy it as well. Taking it farther, he stuck his tongue out, tracing it along her delicate skin. "Ohhhhh." Kelly was liking what he was doing. His wet, blue organ leaving a trail following its path. "I suppose we do have the time." She ran her hand though his own hair, tracing it the the back of his neck. "But there is some things I need you to do."

Pekis raised his head to nibble at her earlobe . "Like?"

Turning her body around, the two were now facing each other. Kelly placed her hand on his chest, the suit he wore in between them. Clenching her fingers, she pulled on the material. "For starters. Strip!"

With a smile, Pekis jumped off the bed, and worked on her request while she did so as well. Pulling his pants down, he couldn't help, but think Kelly changed over the months. When they first met, Kelly was so nervous. Waking up to a new world, meeting an alien for the first time, heading out on life threatening missions that she never in her dreams would think about doing before. Now it was normal for her. She had confidence, and wasn't afraid to get out in the field, or punish people when-. Pekis clenched his buttocks when a certain memory resurfaced. 'Why did it have to be up my ass?'

"You done yet?" Kelly watch him while keeping herself covered with the blanket, much to his disappointment.

"One sec." Pekis dropped his shirt to the floor, then climb back in. Kelly's scary moments aside, he liked how far she come. So much, he was glad he took off his pants.

"Someone's ready." Kelly wrapped her fingers around his impressive length, stroking it, eliciting a low growl from him.

"Can't say the same for you." Pekis reached out to pull the blanket away from her, only to have his hand slapped away. "What gives?"

"It's not going to be that easy. There's still things I need from you."

"This is payback for last time isn't it?"

Kelly took her hand off him, making him sigh in disappointment. "Brains, and brawn. You almost never disappoint. Now for the second thing," Kelly uncovered her legs, exposing them, and her bare waist, "before you think of your own pleasure, it's important to think of the girl's first, So..." She moved her legs apart, "Repeat of last time."

Licking his mandibles, Pekis crawled to the other ended of the bed, having her nether regions in his face. He remember the taste his tongue touched before, as well as the scent. With one of his lower arms, he stroked himself, placating his primal urges, although the fear of a repeat in the Crucible with her did most of that job for him.

Kelly ran hot with anticipation. Remembering the fantastic job he did before, she could only imagine how well he'd do with experience. She held her breath, feeling his hot breath getting closer. "Come on. Don't make me wwaaaiiiittt!"

Pekis dipped his tongue in her, putting an end to her complaints. Her flavor was just as he remembered. He went deeper, parting his mandibles to do so, eliciting louder moaning from the warlock.

Kelly gripped the sheets tightly, the sensation of his rough, blue tongue worming its way though her soft flesh. Her body twitched, her back made an arc, all the while Pekis kept a firm grip on her thighs. His face stayed locked with her entrance, using the skin of his mandible to stimulate her clit. Kelly felt her build up come to a climax, just as Pekis could tell by the smell of her scent becoming more potent. With a long drawn out cry, Kelly's fluids discharged into his awaiting mouth.

Pekis did his best to take in a much as he could with some of it spilling on to the bed sheets. Pulling away from her, he licked his mandibles clean, and saw the look of ecstasy on her face. "So...how was it?"

Kelly needed to catch her breath. They hadn't even really started, and she was already out of breath. She could only guess at what was in store for her later. "Your not...as much of an animal...as last time." She wouldn't let him know how well he did, but she knew he already knew.

Pekis laid back down next to her, holding his head up with an arm. "Well after last time I didn't want to piss you off." The hunter clenched his buttocks again remembering.

Looking into his eyes, Kelly saw the echo of that whopping she handed him in his mind, and decide to tease him with it. She create a layer of void energy around her hand, bringing up some painful memories for him, and place it on his butt cheek, causing him to tremble at the void power touching his skin. "Well then, for the third thing..." Kelly grabbed his side with both hand, and forced him down on his stomach. "There's something I want to test."

Pekis stiffened. Spreading his arms out, Pekis wiggle his waist, doing his best to shift his erect tool into a more comfortable position, and stopped when Kelly pressed down on his lower back. "Don't move." Kelly took out a strange coin from her inventory.

Pekis' heart pumped faster. With the position her was in, he hoped she wasn't planning anything painful, or embarrassing to him. Something metallic bounced off his rear, causing him to flinch. "What was that?"

"I knew it!"

_ One Hour LaterEarth, The Last City, Tower Shooting Range

As the morning went by, Bitsine spent her time in the lower levels of the tower. Years ago, Shaxx set up a firing range near the base of the tower to allow guardians to test out new weapons before taking them in the Crucible. The range consisted of multiply booths built along the width of the room, with the range itself using advance hard-light projection equipment to produce lifelike copies of the City's enemies for targets.

Bitsine, after paying a visit to Shaxx's weapons vendor frame, decided to head to the range to compare her new gear to what she already had. Stepping off the elevator, She followed the directional arrows that lead to the range. Soon enough, Bitsine found herself at the range's entrance. The door slide open, revealing a checkpoint for guardians to check in. "Greetings, Titian." The Frame stationed at the front said. "Welcome to the Crucible Firing Range. Please sign in."

"Okay." Bitsine filled out the check in paper the Frame handed her.

"Thank you, and I hope our facility is to your liking."

"It probably will be." The Frame pressed a button, opening the sliding door leading to the range. Stepping though, the sounds of rifles firing boomed in her audio receptors. Adjusting her ears, she walked past several occupied booths, guardians of all kinds testing new weaponry, finally stopping at vacant spot. "Lets do this." Taking a seat, Bitsine placed her Thunderlord on the table before her, giving it a once over to make sure it was working properly. "Okay Ghost, give me the Sawtooth Oscillator." The Exo held out her hand, expecting her gun of choice to appear like usual, but nothing happened. "Ghost? Ghost? Are you ignoring me, or something?"

"Oh shi-, sorry. I was distracted." Bitsine's ghost transmated the machine gun into her hand as she requested.

"Distracted, huh?" Bitsine put the Sawtooth next to the Thunderlord, wanting to compare the two. "What could possibly have you distracted? Aren't you a super intelligent, hacking robot?"

"I'm a Ghost, not a robot!" The Ghost said annoyed. "And for the record, I was in the middle of playing a R.T.S. game with Kelly, and Pekis' Ghosts. That's what distracted me."

"Jeez, touchy." Bitsine picked up the Thunderlord first. "So what should I pick first?" She scrolled down a holographic screen with a list of enemies to choose from. "Lets see: Fallen, Hive, Cabal, Vex. Were going to be hitting the Black Garden later so..."

"You have selected: Vex." The automated computer voice said. "One moment while projections construct."

"Excuse me."

Bitsine turned around on her heel, seeing an blue skinned Awoken titian standing behind her. "Can I help you?"

"You don't recognize me? My name is Avez. We met a few weeks ago when my team help your friend, Pekis, on Venus."

Gears turned in Bitsine's head, stopping when she recalled her, and Kelly's late rescue attempt. "OH, Avez! I remember now. Your Kelly's, and Pekis' friend."

Avez was glad she remembered. "Yes, your Fallen friend was in a bit of a bind when we helped him. I've never seen Fallen so determined to kill a lone guardian, or even another one of them."

"That's Pekis for you. He's such a rare guardian, everyone either wants him dead, or wants to take a picture with him."

"Vex projections materializing." The automated voice said.

Bitsine picked up her new machine gun. "Here we go."

For the next couple minutes, Bitsine experimented with the two machine guns, studying the differences of how they worked, including different modifications for both of them. Avez, wanting to talk to her more, set up in a booth next to her's, testing his new Grim Citizen III auto rifle on Cabal constructs. At the ended of the round, the "Dead" constructs faded into light blue light. the two titian set their weapons down, smoke rising from the barrels, thinking about the results. 'So the Sawtooth pack less punch, but has more rounds per mage. I'll save that for large crowds. Thunderlord, I let you have bigger targets.'

Avez pulled out the clip, checking for any leftover rounds before putting it back in. "So I hear the vanguard has put your team in charge of the Black Garden. That is a big responsibility for a team that has only more recently been put together."

Bitsine put the machine guns back in her inventory, then took out a hand cannon with vanguard markings. 'The Devil You Know. I like that name.' Hearing what Avez said, a suspicion rose in her mind. "Yeah, I suppose it is. So are you jealous that the rookies are getting the important missions?"

"No. It just makes more sense for a team of experienced guardians for something like that. No offense, but you've only been around for a few months. How did you get put in charge?"

Bitsine chuckled, saying something to her ghost.

"Her Ghost just sent me a link." Avez Ghost said.

"What link, Jade?"

Bitsine caught that. 'Jade?' Not getting distracting, she spoke. "Watch that video again, and ask yourself why again. As for Kelly, she is the only one I know capable to throwing Pekis' ass around the Crucible like a rag doll. And me..." Bitsine hit the Vex selection again, taking out her Warpath launcher this time. "I have big guns!" A trio of Minotaurs spawned first, the first to be targeted by the cocky titan.

"BITSINE, DON'T!" Avez tried to stop her, but was too late.

The light a solar missile lit up the range, catching everyone off guard, ending with a nice explosion followed by blaring alarms, and flashing lights. "WARNING: Severe structural damage to range detected. Shutting down all systems to avoid power surge."

A series of smaller explosions came soon after, damaging the power lines, and circuitry that ran beneath the floor further, the smoke triggering the fire suppression system. Columns of Pressurized Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide bursted from the ceiling, putting out the small individual flames. Guardians scuttled out to the range, passing by emergency tower workers, and Frames rushing in to assess the full extant of the damage.

Avez, and Bitsine were some of the last ones out, small crowds gathered to find out what all the hubbub was about. Taking their helmets off, the two titans tried to get their wits about them while alarms, and voices of people wanting to know what happen.

"What's going on?"

"Was that a bomb!?"

"Is anyone hurt?"

Bitsine could feel a headache coming on from the noise, which was weird since she technically didn't have a brain. "Okay, can someone explain to me what happened?"

"That range wasn't built to handle high-grade explosives." Avez explain, also feeling a headache. "You damaged the floor, and the circuitry under it. Didn't you read the warnings when you signed in?"

"I might have skimmed them." A loud rumbling sound rocked the tower, throwing everyone off balance. "What was that!?"

Inside the range, one of the tower workers coughed, waving his hand to fan away the cloud of dust that formed. The air cleared, revealing a newly formed hole leading to the storage room built beneath them. "The Floor collapsed!"

_ Tower Barracks

"You...are just...incredible." Kelly laid completely naked on Pekis bare chest, all four arms wrapped tightly around her back as beads of sweat passed from her body to his. Her nethers ached, not fully use to the size of his girth, but still able to take him.

Pekis rested on the bed, the blankets long since been discarded, his member spent from an hour of continuous exertions. The fear he felt during Kelly's experiment with his rear replaced with new excitement when She made her fourth, and final request. "You really...should be on top more often."

Kelly delivered a kisses to his throat leading up his chin. "More often? What are you talking about? This is only the second time we've done it, and the first time I've straddled you."

Pekis held his breath. He cursed himself, confusing his time with that other hunter with the warlock currently using him a mattress. And there was no way he was going to bring that up. "You know what I mean." Pekis glided his hand up her body, cupping her chin in his fingers, and raised her head up. Their eyes locked, the fatigue overshadowed by the content they shared with each other. Pekis could feel something build up in his throat, the feelings he had for her wanting to come out, but were to scared to do so. He desperately want to finally tell her in words what she meant to him, but What if she really didn't feel the same way? Maybe this was just a fling for her? Or maybe she still had feelings for her former lover from long ago?

Pekis' train of though broke by the soft presence pressing against his mandibles. Kelly had closed the gap between their faces, extending her arm around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. The hunter beneath her had become so important to her. Being able to fill the void left by the loss of her fiance was such a relief for her. She may have been granted a second chance in life, the powers of the light, and a mission to protect what Humanity had left, but even that wasn't enough to fill everything. The warlock felt the Fallen's mouth open up, something soft, and wet seeking access to her. Obliging, Kelly's lips parted, the slippery mass pushing though, opening them more before finding its target.

The two guardians mouths wrestled for dominance. While the fight took place in the warlock's territory, the hunter had size to his advantage. Even still, Kelly did not let up. She was a strong willed woman, generally did take shit from jackasses, and was only submissive under certain circumstances, but one of those was defiantly not going to be her mouth. Pekis felt the pressure, her new offensive gaining ground, pushing him back, not to mention the taste of her mouth distracting him. He founded himself getting sidetracked, wanting to explore the rest of her, leaving him vulnerable. It wasn't until their lungs burned for air that they stopped. With a pop, they pulled apart, Pekis' tongue slipping out, grazing her nose.

They panted together, still able to taste each other. "Damn. Where'd a hung bastard like you learn to French kiss like that." Kelly rubbed the touched part of her nose.

Pekis held his breath again, but didn't last long. "I...might have read about it. I wanted to leave an impression with you." He lied.

Kelly giggled. "What ever you've been doing, keep it up. I didn't know kissing could be so fun." licking her lips, she move in for round two.

Knowing her intention, Pekis braced himself for her assault when his Ghost popped out off nowhere. "I'm receiving an urgent message from the vanguard."

The two guardians flinched at the intrusion. Kelly rolled off Pekis, their embrace broken, she grabbed one of the blankets from the floor to cover herself up. Pekis took the pillow his head rested on, and sat up, placing it on his lap. The two lovers steamed with anger. "I case it wasn't obvious, we're a little busy."

The Ghost rolled his eye. "Yes, I'm sure face fucking each other is much more important than a order by the vanguard to go see them." The sudden mouth on him. "You better get going before they send a some Frames to knock on your door."

Kelly was still angry at the interruption, but was curious about what they could want them for. "What's it about? The mission?"

The Ghost shook his body. "Bitsine's in trouble."

_ Vanguard Meeting Room

"This is an outrage! What is going to be done about it!?" Arach Jalaal addressed the vanguard. The Arach was furious due to a Dead Orbit storage area suffering a sudden cave in. Many important supplies, and equipment needed to maintain the Dead Orbit fleet if need be were damage beyond repair.

The vanguard stood at their posts, Ikora being the most experienced with delegating such matters took charge of the discussion. "Jalaal, please calm down. Rest assured that the vanguard will do what we can to help replace what you lost."

"And what of her!?" Jalaal pointed to the titian responsible. Bitsine stood on the sidelines, her arms folded, and head down in shame. "This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable! What are you going to do about it!?"

"Rest assured, Jalaal," Zavala started, "Once she, and her fire team have completed their current mission, she will be given the responsibility of helping Dead Orbit with for a time."

"And what of my range?" Shaxx was also present, the news of one of his ranges being damaged did not sit well. "If she's going to be assisting Dead Orbit, then I want her help with the repairs."

Zavala thought about it for a moment. "Very well. Bitsine, you assist Shaxx's workers in the range's repairs first before being assigned to Dead Orbit."

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! Hold up!" Bitsine cut in, catching everyone's attention. "If you want me to fix the range I blew up, fine. But their is no way I gonna help those fucking cowards run away!" She declared, pointing to the Arach, him having a offended look on his face.

"This is not up for dis-" Jalaal was cut off.

"Fuck you! You want to abandon everything on this planet, then you get off your ass, get in a ship, and get lost. You spend most of your time standing in a hanger corner going on, and on about how "all is lost", and we need to leave this "dead planet", and trying to get others to follow your crap, yet during that time you could just beat it, and be done with the whole thing. Or maybe your just to scared to try, and find out what's waiting outside the system. I on other the hand, am going to say on this "dead planet", helping my team kill an evil heart, then I gonna go back to crushing Fallen limbs in my hands until they start scavenging Golden Age ruins for spare body parts, and during that time you can take your run, and hide philosophy, and SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS! " Bitsine finished, the whole room standing silent at her speech.

Jalaal was at a complete loss for words. Shaxx, and other like-minded guardians, and personnel, including Zavala, looked to her with respect for her courage, and determination.

Cayde whispered to his Ghost, "Please tell me you recorded that."

"You think I wouldn't? It's already going into circulation on the net." The video would soon convince many citizens, and guardians thinking about supporting Dead Orbit to reconsider.

Bitsine looked around, noticing the whole room was dead quite. The silence ended by the sound of clapping coming from the entrance. Kelly, and Pekis showed up just it time to hear her outstanding words. Pekis clapped with both pairs of hands while Kelly was putting the finishing touches on fixing her hair. "That...was...beautiful. I couldn't put it better myself."

Pekis' applaud gain momentum as others joined him, the sounds of cheering the only thing coming from the room. Bitsine felt a sudden sense of pride. She never thought she could ever get a reaction like that from anyone.

When things quiet down, Jalaal, feeling defeated, made his way to the exit, stopping in front of the Fallen hunter looking down on him. "I should have expected something like this from a guardian that associate with one of your kind. You scavengers are one of the main reasons our world is lost."

Pekis stepped to the side, letting him past. "Well my people are the ones that are usually getting massacred on a daily basis by us. You don't see them running away now do you, bitch. So go do what you do best."

Jalaal left, most of the workers in the room resuming their duties. Having of just arrive, Kelly, and Pekis were still in the dark about what all that was about. "So can someone please explain to us what is going on. We kinda have something important to do." Kelly asked.

Ikora, still recollecting her thought, responded. "Yes, the reason we summoned you here is because your teammate, Bitsine, has caused significant structural damage."

"Structural damage?" Pekis rubbed his forehead. "Bitsine, what did you do?"

"She used a rocket launcher in my firing range, even though it was clearly stated in the bylaws that the use of explosive weaponry is strictly prohibited." Shaxx said, only glancing at the hunter every now, and again. He still did not fully trust the Fallen, and given his own history with them, it would be a bit awkward to him.

"In my defense, guys, I did read the rules when I went in. I just skimmed through them." Bitsine returned to her former pre-speech posture.

"Same here." Cayde said, knowing how she felt. "I just get so bored having to read though all those things. Especially when I have to sit here all day, going though these reports. just the same thing over, and over-"

"Cayde!" Zavala cut him off, annoyed by his behavior. "You are a member of the vanguard. You must take your responsibilities seriously."

"Easy for you to say." Cayde retorted. "Your a titian. Standing around the wall all the time is suppose to be your thing."

"Excuse me?" Bitsine said.

"Not you! Your one of those cool, go beyond the wall, and smash the enemy kind of titian. I'm saying that I'm a hunter, and I need to move around."

"Getting back on topic." Ikora wanted to move the conversation along. "We have decided that once your mission to the Black Garden, she will be assigned to helping repair the damage. Bitsine, was originally also going to be helping Dead Orbit, but it seems she has no intention of doing so whatsoever."

"Damn right I don't."

"So she will be unavailable for future missions for a few weeks."

"Very well then." Pekis said. "As long as she can still help with the garden that's fine."

"Easy for you to say." Bitsine rejoined her friends.

The discussion over, Shaxx walked passed them, letting them know. "Light be with you, guardians." If Pekis' team could destroy the heart then maybe he is a Fallen to be trusted.

The trio themselves took their leave, ready to set off on their journey, knowing that everything they cared about could be in the balance. And Pekis would finally Remember.

On the way out, many people who had already watch Cayde's posted video recognized Bitsine.

"Yeah, you tell those wusses."

"Screw running, fight to the end."

While other would say.

"Your suicide to think we can win."

"Our only chance is to flee."

Pekis found the whole thing amusing. "Look like your wrapping up a mix fan base. We got a new thing in common." Pekis recalled his own troubles with fame.

"Hopefully I don't have to worry about assassinations like you do. Though I doubt the Fallen are ever going to hear about it."

Pekis remember something she said in the last part of her speech. "Yeah, about that. When you said your going to start crushing my people's limbs left, and right. That excludes me right?"

"IT BETTER!" Kelly stepped right in front of Bitsine, stopping the group. "If you even think of laying a finger on him like that, I'm going to do to you what I did to him! No kicks the crap out of him except me, and that's only when he deserves it!"

Pekis back away, remembering what she was talking about. Bitsine took a step back seeing the seriousness in her eyes. "Of course I'm not talking about him, Jeez. I like him, and I got his back no matter what."

Kelly calmed down. "Okay, thank you." The warlock hugged the titian. "I'm glad me, and him have you for a friend." She let go. "Now let's get going." Kelly took off towards the hanger where their ships waited, leaving the two to catch up to her.

"Damn." Bitsine started, "I is shocking how scary she can be."

"Yeah, trust me you do not want to be on the receiving end of her wrath." Pekis rubbed his face, think back to how hard she slapped him before. "But honestly, I like that about her. She's tough."

"As long as she focuses that on our enemy, am I right?" Bitsine clenched her fist, holding it out to him.

Pekis simply stared at her armored hand, unsure what it meant. "What?"

Bitsine sighed. "Hold out your hand, and make a fist." Pekis did as she asked. Bitsine grabbed the large hand by the wrist, and connected his knuckles to her own. "It's called a fist bump."


	26. Chapter 26

One Hour Later, MorningMars, Meridian Bay, Valley Of The Kings

Burning Light's ships descend into the dry atmosphere of the red planet. Pekis took the lead downward with Kelly in back, and Bitsine follow close behind, as per the usual.

With his hand on the controls, Pekis heard the sound of his heartbeat. Butterflies flew in his stomach, adding to the anxiety he was feeling. Everything they knew was on the line. The success of their mission could save the Traveler, halt the Vex advancement in the system, help him understand who he truly was. 'It all depends on this.' Regaining focus, the hunter considered how his friends might be. "So does anyone have anything to say before we do this? We are about to go someplace where the darkness rules. Anything to get off your chest?"

"Aside from the excitement of getting the chance to kill Vex in mass on their home turf, not really." Bitsine responded, not holding back the joy she was feeling. "So that giant gate sticking out of the sand is suppose to send us to the Garden? Where do you think that will be?"

"It could be any number of places, at any point in time." Kelly was reading a book on the Vex gate systems, and time travel capabilities. Some of the stuff she was reading had her worried. "Their network is highly complex. Lets hope that whatever we find we can comprehend."

Kelly did not sound right. Looking over his seat, Pekis saw she had her nose in a book. "What are you reading, and what about it has your panties in a bunch." Pekis believe he used that expression correctly when a hand smacked the top of his head. "Hey!"

"Did you really just say that to her." Bitsine laughed.

"If you must know, it's a book written by a warlock about his explorations into the Vex dimensions. From what I've read so far, we need to watch our every step in the Garden, or we could be lost to time." Kelly finished running her finger through his hair, eliciting a low growl from him. It seemed he like being scratched there as much it gave her comfort to do.

Pekis took a hand off the controls, letting his Ghost take the wheel, to touch the one on his head. "Kelly, you need to put that book down. The stressed look does not work well for you."

"Or maybe you need to pick one up more often." Kelly shot back. "I would do you some good to get some book learning in your spare time."

"I have my own books to read." Pekis transmated Pahanin's Errata into his hand, and lifted it up so Kelly could see. "This has plenty of info on the Vex, and its not super complicated like what your use to."

Kelly took the book from his hand. "A book written by a hunter? How much useful information could, Pahanin, possibly have on the Vex?"

Pekis took the book back. "For starters, did you know that if you wear Vex armor, it will fuse with your skin."

Kelly gave his hair a good tug. "Yes, that would be part of their corrupting abilities. You got anything else."

"I haven't finished it yet, but I am getting more into his encounters with the Vex. But since your book is such a treasure trove, do you mind telling me who wrote it?"

Kelly let his hair go, and sat back in her seat. "Asher Mir. He is said to be a expert on the Vex. Also, did you ever find out what happen to, Pahanin?"

Pekis returned to his position, and retook the controls. His voice had a slight sorrow tone. " Cayde, told me that he was killed by a traitor called, Dredgen Yor, decades ago."

Kelly had heard that name before. A renegade guardian that bathed himself in darkness, and created something called "A Weapon of Sorrow" that drained other guardians of their light, permanently killing them. To this day his name is spoken only with hate.

"If you two are done with your who is better debate," Bitsine said, having listened in, "I'd like to direct your attention to the big gate sticking out of the sand."

Regaining his focus, Pekis saw their objective. The two guardians put away their books, and took out their weapons of choice as they closed in on the gate. It stood just as it did the last time they set foot in the Valley of the Kings, except it didn't appear to be activated, there was no pulsing energy radiating from it. "Here we go." Pekis' ship dipped towards the ground, immediately pulling up to the sky after dropping off its two passengers in between Vex stone constructs leading to the Garden's entrance.

Bitsine followed soon after, boots kicking up the sand, Sawtooth in hand. "Lets do this!" She fired several rounds into the air to pump her teammates up.

Pekis, and Kelly stared at the titan. Kelly looked up, knowing that what went up, had to come down. "Bitsine, do you thing we can keep the volume on the DL?" Pekis suggested, "I'd prefer it if we didn't have to face more odds than we'd have to."

"What? What kind of hunter are you? Where's your sense of adventure, and thirst for danger?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I do enjoy all that, but we're heading to Vex stronghold, and I don't think it'd be good if their numbers jumped to the thousands. We wouldn't have enough ammo."

Bitsine couldn't deny his logic. They were a badass team, but even they couldn't last against that. "Point taken."

"Back on the subject at hand." Kelly directed their attention back to the Vex gate looming over them. Getting closer Kelly asked her Ghost, "Ghost, is the gate active?"

"Get me closer." Kelly did as her Ghost requested, walking up to the gate frame that emanated some kind of black smoke. Materializing, the Ghost began scanning the gate, the energy running though it dark, the solid Vex radiolaria becoming aware of the intrusion. "The gate is powered, but it won't open for just anyone. There's a type of lock that will only open from the outside for higher Vex, and- Oh crap! They detected me! Incoming!"

The gate activated, surging with Vex power, sending out pulses of energy, shaking the dirt, and rock beneath their feet. Grabbing her Ghost, Kelly regrouped with her friends who had taken defensive positions behind the stone ruins. Bitsine was on one knee, mounting her machine gun on the Vex stone in front when Kelly vaulted over, and a position next to her with The Conduit pulse rifle in hand. "Bitsine, were's Pekis?"

"Back there."

Pekis fell farther back to make better use of his Wire rifle. Pressing his shoulder against a wall, he peered out through his scope as the Vex began marching into their reality from the activated gate. Squeezing the trigger, Pekis was about to drop the first one until a very familiar pain returned. His concentration broken, Pekis dropped his gun, clenching his head in pain as a ring could be heard in his ears, after pulling his helmet off, and dropped to his knees. "Not Now!"

Pekis' ghost was in a panic, seeing his guardian loss his shit in the beginning of a battle. "Pekis, what wrong!?"

"My head feels like its going to explode!" Pekis groaned out.

"Your head?" Thinking what this could be, the Ghost remembered the conversation they had with the Stranger. "Beginning scan." He scanned Pekis' body on every level. Biologically, he was perfectly healthy for a Fallen his size, but an energy scan was another matter. Searching top to bottom, the light within him burned as brightly as any other guardian, possible even more so considering how strong his blade-dancer ability was. It was when the scan reached his head that shed light on the situation. At the very core of his brain, a black mass of energy was embed. Vein like appendages reaching out to the light trying to contain it, to spread, and corrupt. "Dame it! I need to suppress it!"

Bitsine finished cocking her machine gun when her, and the warlock next to heard the sound of a screaming Fallen. She turned around, "Pekis, what's wrong with you!?" Pekis was in too much pain to say anything (nothing that could be considered comprehensible words anyway).

"We have to help him!" Kelly was about rush over to him when Slap Rifle shots flew overhead. "Damn it!" She took aim, ready to see these bothersome robots turned to scrap when the first vex out of the gate was nailed from above by raining bullets.

Normally Bitsine would burst out laughing at such a random occurrence, but she wasn't in the mood. She pulled the trigger, shell casings flying out the ejector. Just as she thought, her Oscillator was as effective on real Vex as it was on simulated Vex. Dozens of goblins, and hobgoblins fell in pieces, their radiolaria cases bursting, spilling their corrupting fluids onto the sand, changing the atoms into radiolarian solids.

Kelly worked picking off survivors still standing after have a limb, or two shot off. Hobgoblins that manage to activate their solar shields did last long as the damage they repaired was irrelevant, because of the precision shots Kelly delivered to their chests. Vex parts scattered across the ground, their red optics turning dark from the lack of power charging them.

"About time!" With the Vex dead, Kelly was desperate to help the hunter still howling in pain. She ran out into the open, the screams getting louder the closer she got, when a Line Rifle shot hit her in the back, her shields still holding, but her fury heightened. Turning around, rifle in hand, a new wave of Vex popped out gate in greater numbers, back up by the appearance of several minotaurs. Kelly fired a burst, taking the head of a hobgoblin causing to aggro. "We don't have time for this! Just die!"

Bitsine had a similar thought, hearing the coolest Fallen she'd met so far in need of help. "That is it!" The Exo put her gun away, ready to unleash her light upon the meddlesome machines when something even bigger came though. Hovering a few feet off the ground, a large Vex hydra suspended between three rotating shields, and dual mounted Torch Hammers on the top segment of its wriggling body. "Now this might take longer."

"No, it's not." Kelly positioned her hands parallel to each other, channeling her light into them, forming a sphere of void light in between them. She hurled it, the hydra's thick armor plating, and shields saving it from the initial blast while the lesser Vex around it were vaporized, but the vortex left behind engulfed the hydra, also creating a vacuum that suck in the remaining Vex still coming through the gate, atomizing them on the atomic level.

As the battle against the Vex was drawing to an end, the fight in Pekis' head was still ongoing. "That thing is really in there!" Pekis' Ghost was doing all he could to contain the darkness trying to spread. 'I don't understand how it inside him. He's a guardian so his light should have kept something like this from happening. The only explanation there is...He got it before he died!'

Pekis' Ghost was so lost in thought, he did hear the sounds of the other two guardians kicking through the sand. "What's wrong with, Pekis!?" Kelly asked frantically, placing her hands on his squirming body.

The hunter's Ghost jump, metaphorically speaking. In his present condition, Pekis wouldn't be able to defend himself if their enemies found him. Turning his eye to the warlock, The Ghost answered, "The darkness in, Pekis', head is trying to spread. I'm doing my best to stop it, but I could use some help!"

"We're on it!" Kelly, and Bitsine's Ghosts materialized over Pekis, and began joining their their own light with Pekis'. Seeing the tumor like darkness in Pekis' head made the Ghosts shiver in disgust. "Now that is sick!"

With the three Ghosts, Pekis' light was strengthened. The darkness trying to infect the rest of him retreated, the light all around it burning it, weakening it, forcing it back to its previous state. The pain fading, Pekis panted in relief, "That's...better." Opening his eyes, Pekis lifted himself up, the two other guardians taking an arm in their hands to help him. Standing up, he leaned back on a wall behind him, residual pain still bothering him.

"What happened? You had us worried." Kelly kept a hand on his arm in case he had trouble standing."

"Worse. Migraine. Ever." Even the sound his voice hurt his head.

Since it was clear they still wanted more information, Pekis Ghost decided to fill in the gaps for them. "The darkness in his head was trying to spread, and attacked his light. We manage to suppress it for now, but there is no telling when it might try again." He floated in front of his guardian's face. "So I suggest to don't try using any of your abilities for now. It might give the darkness another opening."

"Note."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Bitsine interjected. "What your telling us is that, Pekis, the hunter that can summon arc blades that cut through tank armor like butter, can't use his light when were about to shove our boots up the Vex's ass."

Bitsine's Ghost gave an answer. "It's that, or he has another breakdown."

"I'm more than my light you know." Pekis straightened up, his nausea clearing up. "Light, or no light, I'm going. If you got a problem with it," Pekis pointed to Kelly, "Take it up with her."

He walked away, leaving the two girls looking at each other. "So..." Kelly started, "problem?"

Bitsine shied away, "No."

Pekis stood in front of the gate towering over him. "How do we get in?" he asked his Ghost.

"We need permission from a Vex mind...or a key like an eye."

"Huh, easy enough." Pekis still heard a ringing in his ear. "Got any theories for why my brain started to choke itself."

"I got one. When I was scanning your body to find the problem, I detect some kind of signal being transmitted from the other side of the gate. The darkness in your head was resonating with it, drawing strength from it. And its probably going to get worse the closer to it."

"That figures." Pekis felt a pat on his back.

"Feeling better." Bitsine said, look up at the taller figure.

"depends on your idea of better." Pekis took out the eye, its red optic glowing brighter than usual. "That's new."

"Must be because of the gate." Kelly stood on his right, taking the eye from his hand to examine it. "Ghost, can you tell us how to use it?"

"As far as we can tell, just hold it out."

"Okay then." She gave Pekis the eye back. "Like to do the honors?"

Pekis stared at the eye in two of his hand. This was it. He held out his hand, the glowing brighter, the ring of the gate pulsing with Vex energy. The space in front of them warped, their vision blurred as the near invisible hole through space, and time opened. "I think it's safe to say it's working."

"You think?" Bitsine was the first to step forward, Kelly, and Pekis watched their friend's image distorted, literally walking to a new reality. "This is getting wei-" Just like that, Bitsine vanished.

"Bitsine? Bitsine?" Kelly called out. She turn on her comm, "Bitsine?"

"(static)"

"Guess it worked." Pekis armed his Wire Rifle, following in Bitsine's footstep with Kelly in tow. She kept her Conduit pulse rifle on hand, feeling the waves of power wash over-

The two guardians hit the ground, Pekis taking a shot to the chest in the air, the bullet lodged in his chest plate before landing on it. "Ow!"

Bitsine lowered her weapon, eyes wide when seeing who she hit. "Oh, shit!" She ran over, pulling him off the ground. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! This place was freaking me out, and I didn't think you guys were going to show up in the same place as me, so I though you were a Vex! And Lets face it, the're the only one we now take could just pop out of thin air in a place like this!"

Bitsine continue with her apology, going to fast for Pekis to understand it all, but he got the gist of it. Standing, he grabbed her by both shoulders. "Bitsine, slow down."

"Okay, Okay." Bitsine calmed herself.

Feeling her muscles relax, Pekis let go. "As for getting shot," Pekis pulled the bullet out of his chest, "I forgive you. But please, please, don't do that again. "Kelly, having heard the whole ordeal, was not happy. She pull Bitsine helmet off to give her a slap, but Pekis grabbed her wrist. "Please don't. It's not that big a deal."

Kelly settled down, Pekis letting go of her, she returned Bitsine's helmet. "Sorry."

Pekis Examined their surroundings. It looked like they were in some sort of artificially-made cavern. The walls, and ceiling were mainly rock, reinforced by Vex radiolarian stone, and metal. Dirt, and rubble littered the ground, various plant life sprouting out, moss, and vine covered the walls in layers. Kneeling down, Pekis plucked a red flower from its place, rolling it between his fingers looking for any type of corruption. "Ghost, what can you tell me about this flower?"

"As far as I can tell, it's just a flower. There's no Vex corruption, it's perfectly healthy."

"Healthy? The Vex turn planets into machines, and destroy all life on them. Why would they allow life to grow in a place so important to them?"

"Beats me. Maybe they don't think their important enough to bother with. Or maybe they like the look it gives their architecture, I don't know."

Pekis' friends joined up with. "Here you go." Pekis handed Kelly the flower. "Freshly plucked from a evil robot garden."

She accepted the flower. "Thank you." Giving it a once over, she put it into her inventory. "So can you tell us where this place is?"

"I'm pretty sure we're somewhere underground. Ghost, any thoughts?"

"If this is the Black Garden, its not on any know map on space, and time."

"Perfect." Bitsine sighed, walking ahead. "First, I shoot Pekis, now were stuck in some Vex lost world." Bitsine was depressed. This was not how she wanted to start off their mission.

"Bitsine, Come on. How many times have we've been knee deep in shit, and still come out on top with everything around us dead." Pekis tried to cheer her up. "Tell you what, if you still feel bad about shooting me," he pulled unholstered one of his shock pistols, "How about I shoot you once to be even?"

"Do it." Bitsine stood in front of him, holding her arms out, making a t with her body.

"That was fast." Pekis cocked his pistol, aiming at the center of her chest then pulled the trigger. The arc projectile bounced off her armor leaving a mark. "Feel better?"

"Yes." Bitsine equipped her dealbreaker. "lets do this." Bitsine moved on, her armored feet turning gravel into sand.

"I like her much better when she's happy." Kelly decided, following her lead.

Pekis followed, rushing to get ahead of Bitsine. It didn't feel right to him, having one of them take the lead. He was the hunter of the group, so it only made sense that he should be the one in front. Hunters were the scouts of the City after all. Going deeper, the level of Vex architecture increased, light embedded in the stone, and exposed machinery lit the way for them. 'convenient.'

Along the way, it was quiet, dead quiet. Nothing, but the sound of footsteps, and occasional digital beeping coming from the walls. What Pekis thought was even more creepy was that there was no resistance yet. Even if they were on the outskirts of the Garden, the Vex should already know they were there, Especially with their welcoming committee in pieces. So why aren't they sending more?

It seemed Pekis got an answer. Ahead of them, Several Vex stood in attention. "Contact!" Pekis fired his Wire Rifle, taking the head off the first Vex. Its body fell over, still locked in attention, hit the ground like a rock.

Kelly shot the next one, a burst of rounds puncturing metal. The Goblin in question stood unfazed by the action.

Bitsine charged the nearest one, bashing it with a shoulder charge. "Who's next?" She scan around her, a cluster of Vex stood near her. Bitsine was about to unleash hell on them when she noticed something was off about them. "What?"

Pekis detected her hesitation. "Bitsine, what's wrong?"

"These Vex aren't moving."

"What?" Kelly lowered her guard meeting up with her. Upon closer inspection, Bitsine was right. The Vex before them didn't do anything, completely oblivious to what had happened. Neither their eyes, or fluid cases glowed. She traced a hand over their exterior. "The're covered in moss."

"What's wrong with them?" Pekis asked.

"The're in some kind of stasis." His Ghost answered him. "Let me scan one." Pekis let him have at it, his friends allowing their Ghost to do the same. "Hmm, strange. Their mind cores have entered dormancy, but their still active."

"I'm getting odd readings." Kelly's Ghost said. "They seemed to processing information, Collecting, and sharing it with each other."

"For what?" The three waiting guardians said, bugging the hell out of them.

"Not sure, the data is heavily encrypted." Bitsine's ghost said. "If we find active Vex, we should take some of their brains back with us. The Tower will have a better chance at deciphering it than we do."

"Kill heart, collect brains. Got it." Bitsine said, her Ghost hovering over her open palm. "Any preferences?"

"Any Vex will do, but for better results target key Vex: hydras, cyclops, Vex minds, etc."

Moving on, the fire team passed by more stationary Vex. Machines standing, waiting for some signal to activate. 'As if this place wasn't creepy enough.' Pekis thought.

Up ahead, another cluster of Vex drew closer. "Stupid statues." Bitsine tried to push one, maybe cause a domino effect, a metal hand slapping her arm away. "Oh, crap!"

In sync, Vex goblins woke up, the titan in between them the first on their list. Bitsine back up, bumping into a goblin behind. Kelly shot of its head, pulling Bitsine away to get her out of the line of fire so Pekis could snipe the remainders, avoiding the glowing chest cases. At the end, Pekis knelt down by the nearest one, pulling out its mind core from its chest. "One down." Kelly, and Bitsine began working on the others. "So how many do we need?"

"As many as we can get, and remember, the more important the Vex, the better."

The deeper Burning Light went, the more resistance that greeted them. Harpies, minotaurs backing up the the numerous goblins, and hobgoblins with more firepower. This did slow the guardians down a bit, but it was in vain. Dispite one of their team restricted from using his light, the other two were more than capable of covering for him. Bitsine used her striker, smashing through their lines, gunning down leftovers that survived the devastation. Kelly utilized her void light, bombing the more entrenched Vex, destroying them, and their cover.

Time passed, At some point Pekis lead his team out of the maze-like cave. They now overlooked the entire garden. For miles, artificial canyons stretched across the land, greenery spread everywhere, all leading up to a cylinder-like mountain in the far distance. The three guardians removed their helmets to take in the view. "How could something controlled by darkness be so beautiful." was all Kelly had to say.

"Don't let your guard down." Her Ghost warned her. "There's something extremely dark down below. The Black Garden's heart must be down below."

Pekis didn't say anything. He was at a lost himself. The Vex saw organic life as an imperfection to be cleansed. Why would they leave so much untouched? Maybe it was a necessary aspect of the Garden's power, or existence? The ringing in his head intensified, most likely a side effect of getting closer to the Heart. Trailing his gaze along the maze-like canyons, he spotted large black fumes coming out of one of the largest ones. His eyes snapped shut, another headache coming on. Pekis back away from the ledge, not wanting to fall off. Reopening, his eyes stared at the ground, the pain subsiding again. It seemed like business as usual if it wasn't for when he looked at that he saw a familiar Fallen female.

Pekis jumped back, slipping on the loose gravel beneath him. Kelly, and Bitsine heard the sound of metal hitting rock, turning to see their Fallen comrade at their feet. "Pekis, what happened?" Kelly asked, concerned.

Pekis didn't say anything, his head still recovering. It was a shame he wasn't wearing his helmet. Looking again, the woman was gone. "I-I fine." The two girls of the group weren't so convinced. Facing them, he was caught off guard again by the House of Kings scribe standing near the ledge, this time in the company of the Kings captain he'd seen before in his dream. Palace blue blood drip down his face from a small hole in his forehead, staining his armor. Horrified, he step back tripping over a small rock, his friends catching him before he fell over.

"Jeez, will you stay on two feet for more than five minutes?" Bitsine asked.

Pekis regained his balance. "Sorry, I'm still nauseous from early." The manifestations of his mind where still where they were. "You two go up ahead. I'll catch up. Need a minute." The two guardians looked at each other then did as he suggested. Kelly peered behind her, seeing Pekis with that grim expression did sit well with her. In the clear, Pekis went to the edge, keep a good distance from the unrecognizable Fallen that followed him. "Who are you?"

Neither of them spoke, putting more space between them, they gave him a better view of the Garden, and pointed to the dark focal point that powered the Vex homeland. Afterwards, the scribe burst into flames, vanishing. The captain shut his eyes, leaning over the edge, falling into dark abbess below.  
Horrified, Pekis ran seeking out the warlock, and titan.

Catching up, Burning light pushed onward, more Vex attempting to stop the intruders from reaching their place of worship. Along the way, they collected as many mind cores as they could, focusing more on the minotaurs, and cyclops they destroyed as to not take up all the carrying space they had on lesser Vex.

Pekis felt his mind getting more getting more disturbed the closer they got. His Ghost assured him that the container of light within him was still holding strong, but it could not stop the darkness in his head from exerting its influence where it resided. Flashbacks, hallucinations, head pains, the darkness did everything it could to impede his progress, but he didn't let up, he couldn't. 'I'm so close.'

While they did all the fighting, the Ghosts played their support roles safely inside their inventories, using their scanners as radars, reviving their guardians form death, and provided analysis of their foes. They refrained from distracting them, unless there was something important they needed to say. "Uh, we're picking up the presence of a Vex mind, just up ahead."

"A Vex Mind?" Pekis lead the fire team, making a few turns their helmet's HUD's pick it up. "Is that it?" Pekis armed his minigun, staring a the hydra accompanied by a squad of hobgoblins, and minotaurs.

"Yup. The information we managed to get from some of the mind cores say its called, Divisive Mind."

"Then it might have everything we need to bring back." Kelly charged ahead, moving from cover to cover, taking out the guards with her SUROS Regime. The Divisive Mind charged its cannons, laying down artillery fired on her position.

"Pekis, any ideas?" Bitsine cocked her Crash shotgun.

"I take out the guns, you rip its brain right out its head." Pekis' gun barrels started winding.

"Good plan." Bitsine moved up, jumping on top of stones to gain height. Pekis held down the trigger, targeting the mounted guns with arc fire. The first one taken out, Divisive Mind responded, paying no heed to the titian above it. While Pekis focused on the second gun, Bitsine hammered the axis mind's armor plating, cracking its metal hide. For good measure, she pump shells in to weaken the armor, allowing her to start ripping away its insides.

Detecting the invasive intrusion, Divisive Mind sent a call out to the collective mind, hobgoblins with charged line rifles targeted the titian, dealing serious to her shields. "Get those bastards off me!" Bitsine said, pulling out some wiring.

"On it!" Kelly shifted her fire, Pekis doing so as well, the hobgoblins dropped left, and right.

Pulling out some cables, Bitsine laid eye on her prize. "Got it!" She pulled away at it, the Divisive Mind going haywire from the breaking connection. With a final tug, the core popped out, the hydra's systems going critical, Bitsine jump off as the it glowed brightly ending in an explosion. "What does that feel like?" Bitsine rubbed her head, thinking of what it would be like to have her brain ripped out.

The area cleared, the guardians regrouped. "Got the brain."

"With the others we've collect, that should be enough to bring to the tower." Bitsine's Ghost explain. "It'll take a few weeks, but we'll find out what their up to."

"Good, the more we know the better. And, that will be enough to finish my book." Pekis smiled.

Bitsine laughed. "Weird ass hunter reading for entertainment."

"Said the titian helping warlocks collect information." Pekis replied.

"Burn." Kelly punched both their arms. "lets keep moving."

Burning Light continued their mission. down a flight of stairs, the guardians fought their way across a bridge built over a chasm. they avoid the use of explosives, not want to collapse the bridge. On the other side, their Ghosts lead them through the labyrinth of the Garden. Making it to the end of the path, they found themselves at what appeared to be a dead end.

"Ghost, are you sure this is the right way?" Pekis peered through his wire rifle's scope.

"Yes, the Heart is just beyond here, past that gate."

"I see it. How do we open it?"

Kelly had the answer. "From what I've studied about Vex security, and architecture, the Vex are bound to have a conflux to operate the gate, but in a place with heightened security like this, we'll need to activate clusters first."

"Clusters?" Bitsine was lacking in Vex terms.

"A kind of security node. Ours Ghosts should be able to hack them. You detecting any nearby, Ghost."

"We are. And they're heavily protect."

"What else is new?" Pekis check his HUD, the clusters placed on either side of the area. One in a cave to the left, another one embedded in the wall to the far right. "I'll go for right one, you two go for the left one."

"Split up?" Bitsine said. "I've been wondering, when did we decide that you'd give the orders?"

"Do you want to lead?"

"Not really."

"Then lets discuss it to get it out of the way. Does anyone here have a problems with the Fallen standing here being in charge?"

"Not me." Kelly said. "I like the current leadership, and I'm not much of a leader myself."

"Me neither. I just wanted make sure we all agreed on it." Bitsine explained.

"Objections from the Ghosts?"

All three of them appeared. "I think your a capable enough leader." Kelly Ghost said.

"Your definitely a better one than, Bitsine, would be." Bitsine Ghost said, pissing her off.

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying."

"Ha!" Pekis' Ghost felt joy, and pride, hearing the unanimous approval for his guardian. "Lets hear someone call me a defect for my decision now."

"Defect." Bitsine joked to her unfortunate expense. All three of the guardians helmets vanished off their heads in blue light, and reappeared over the titian. "Ow, Ow, Ow! I was just kidding!" Bitsine rubbed her metal head. "That hurts more than it should. And since when is dropping helmets on people a thing for Ghosts?"

"When people started doubting the quality of the, Traveler's, creations." Her Ghost informed her.

Pekis pick his helmet off the ground, rubbing his own head in remembrance. "No argument here."

The fire team proceeded, Pekis broke off from the other two, his Calling scout rifle in hand. He didn't stop for anything. Vex of all kinds tried to stop him, being either ran passed, or jumped over while getting shot. Pekis used the terrain to his advantage. there was plenty of stone structure for him to hop on, that, and with his natural speed, and agility, getting to the cluster was a milk run. "Good on my end, What about yours?"

"Almost done." Bitsine finished a downed Goblin with a curb stomp to its chest. A minotaur came at her, using its teleportation to get right in her face. Bitsine pumped her shotgun, the first shell took out its shields, the second took off its leg. Off balanced, the minotaur fell on its side, the gun hand pined under its mass, Bitsine was free to finish it with a shot to the head.

Kelly threw a scatter grenade in the middle of two hobgoblins. "clear." She let her Ghost out to hack the cluster.

"Okay, the security is down on Pekis' end, and ours will be down in 3, 2... got it."

Burning light regrouped at the conflux that emerged in front of the gate. Pekis opened his palm to let his Ghost open the door. "Any problems on your side?"

"nothing bullets couldn't solve." Bitsine checked to make sure all her weapons were loaded.

Kelly, and Pekis did the same thing. Kelly cocked her SUROS Regime, and Pekis check the clip of his Lord of Wolves. Inserting it back it, Pekis heard the ringing in his head then images flashed before his eyes. Places he never been to, Fallen he'd never met. The last thing he saw was the thing was the most disturbing to him. It wasn't like a flashback, or a picture of a memory. More like he was back inside another version of himself.

Pekis was on his knees, his hands trembled in front of his face. His body was noticeably smaller than he was now, maybe vandal size. In front of him, a dead captain wear House of Kings armor, his head smashed into the ground with great force, blood gushing from his open neck hole. Blood, and brain matter coated Pekis' upper arms as it dripped down, staining the ground. In shock, Pekis couldn't do anything except stare blankly at the carnage.

Snapping out of it, he slowly twisted his neck, seeing other Fallen, dregs, and vandals alike, look on him with fear, backing away from him. All of them wear House of Kings armor like the captain. Getting on his feet, Pekis walked away from the body, the other Fallen clearing a path for him. He didn't know where he was going, his arms didn't move from their place, the fabric he wore soaked up the body fluids like a sponge. Unsure how long it had been, Pekis soon walked up to another body. A dreg down on his back, the light of his eyes gone, burn marks, and several large holes opening his chest to the element. The wounds mostly cauterized, little blood escaped his body.

Pekis dropped to his knees again, his eyes watered up, something was caught at his throat. The gasps he made between breaths were only a fragment of the inner agony he felt. "Phylkris? Phylkris!? AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"Pekis?" Kelly saw Pekis zoned out. He didn't appear to be aware of his surroundings. "Pekis!?"

Kelly shook him, snapping him out of it. "Uh, whoa, what?" Pekis shook his head, "What happened?"

"You were staring into space like a zombie." Bitsine stood on the other side of him.

"Oh. I don't- I'm not sure where I was. I was...in pain."

The guardians didn't have time to process. "We have access." Pekis told them. "All we need is permission to enter as a gate lord. Pekis, if you would be so kind."

"Gladly." Pekis took out the eye, his Ghost shot it with a beam of light. The conflux disappeared, its place taken by the blue, transparent Vex key they obtained from the spire. Power flowed through the rectangular construct, the pattern the individual pieces that made it up created was perfectly symmetrical. Some unknown force propelled the key up into the air. The pieces split apart, a round center piece moved away from the gate, the rest scattered in no particular order.

The guardians back away, the site they were witnessing was incredible. Kelly bumped into Pekis, her feet stopping in between his, paying no real attention to the tri-digit hands holding onto her shoulders, nor was Pekis aware of his lower appendages wrapping around her waist.

A beam of light shot out on a nearby spire standing opposite to the gate entrance, hitting the center piece. After a moment of hesitation, the beam split apart out the other side into fourteen smaller ones, hitting the rest, and all concentrated at the center of the gate.

Pekis let Kelly go. The fireteam approached the gate, weapons ready. A pulse of Vex energy surge through the gate, a loud humming, followed by some kind of unlocking sound came from the gate. Pekis stepped in front with his Calling rifle, Kelly behind him with her Culling, and Bitsine with her Thunderlord.

"The heart of the Black Garden." A Ghost said, the gate mechanisms twisting, and turning to open the way.

Stepping through, the area around them became tinted with orange. Ahead, suspended in the center of an incomplete Vex ring, a glob of black, shifting matter with thin tentacle-like arms reach out to the ring, as if trying to hold itself in place. Darkness radiated off it, along with the occasional spark of electricity. Beneath, three large statues, size on par with Zydron, stood behind a horde of Vex goblins. All of them on one knee with their arms spread apart in a worshiping stance.

"Humph. I though it'd be bigger." Bitsine was largely unimpressed.

Kelly looked down the stairs that broke of before they reached the platform the Vex were on. She had never seen the Vex act this way. "Are they actually worshiping it?" The stance they was in were similar to some human practices she read about.

"Vex do that? that's weird." Pekis opened his palm. "Ghost, you ever heard of anything like this?"

"No, the Vex usually study anything that could be beneficial for them."

"Guys, we'll have to save the smart talk for later!" Bitsine saw the Vex adjusting their arms, and turn their body around to stare at the guardians whose presence they were now aware of.

"So...think you can kill a god?" Pekis' Ghost asked him.

Pekis took in a deep breath. "...I don't see why not?" The hunter was the first to head down. By the time his feet hit the floor, the Vex were ready for a fight. His lord of wolves roared with fiery bursts, melting the armor of the Vex they hurt. Kelly, and Bitsine follow up with machine gun fire.

Their numbers dwindling, Pekis charge the remaining few, unsheathing his shock knife, he impaled the first in the mind core. A second goblin on his right prepared to shoot the hunter with a point-blank head shot. Reflexes kicking in, Pekis wrapped his arms around the dying goblin, tossing in to the side, pinning the hostile under the heavy frame. The next teleported right behind him, charging it arm with void power for a direct hit. Preforming a 180-degree turn, the hunter hit the hand with his shotgun's stock, throwing off the aim before sending a full burst into its chest. "That's all of them."

"Then lets get down to business!" Bitsine took out her Warpath launcher, firing a missile into the black tumor of the universe. Upon contact, there was no explosion as expected, no cry of pain from the dark entity, it just vanished. "Where did it go?"

Kelly having seen the event gave her theory. "I think it absorbed the rocket."

"Damn it!" Bitsine fired her Thunderlord, holding the trigger until the magazine was empty. When there was still no effect, she created a pulse grenade, throwing it up only for it to vanish as well. "This is annoying. How do we kill it if we can't hurt it."

As if on cue, the Heart started channeling energy. A vortex of dark energy enveloped one of the statue, causing it to glow, and it pedestal lowered. "The Heart is bringing that statue to life!" Pekis' Ghost was astonished.

The statue burst, the outer rock dropped to the ground. Its limbs free, the Eschaton Mind drew its torch hammer. "Take cover!" Pekis was the first to be fired at. He took cover behind another statue, the stone rumbled with every impact.

"Over here!" Bitsine got its attention, sending a rocking its way, taking off a piece of its armor. The Vex stumbled, its circuitry exposed, it desired retribution.

No longer pinned down, Pekis rushed into the open, returning fire with his For The People. Kelly went to an elevated position, using the high-caliber rounds of her Chosen sniper rifle to pierce its armor. Bitsine reloaded, sending another explosive warhead its way, blowing of its arm. The Eschaton Mind still stood tall. "Let's see how you take this." Kelly focused her light, sending out a Nova Bomb, engulfing the mind in void light.

"Ha! Is that all you got you stupid-" Another wave of darkness awoke another statue. "Your not even being original!" Bitsine expected more from such an entity.

"Who cares about originality!? Just kill it!" Pekis started shooting.

"It does matter!" Bitsine activated her striker, and charged. "All the crap we put up with getting here..." She tackled the Imminent Mind, breaking of a leg, making it fall. "Was suppose to lead up to an epic fight..." Bitsine jumped on its back slamming her fists into it." And! Its! Not! Even! Fighting! Us! Itself!" Bitsine didn't let up. Every punch created a shockwave, leaving a good dent behind before another did the same thing. Pekis, and Kelly felt the vibrations travel up their bodies from the ground. The flashes Bitsine's punches made increased in intensity along with her fury, the light becoming bright enough hide her figure. The Imminent Mind was pounded into the ground, a cavity punched through its chest. When it was over, Bitsine climb out of the hole she made. "I feel better."

"The Heart is dying! Keep fighting!" True to the Ghost's word, The heart was reacting badly to the destruction of its pawns. The fragments of power that brought them to life being destroyed along with them, the Heart becoming more unstable with each loss.

Pekis himself could feel the effect. The darkness within him growing weaker, the resistance it had to his light diminishing, harming it, making it squirm. "That feels weird, but I think its working." The third, and last statue came to life. The Primeval Mind, the last defense the Heart had, drew its weapon. "My turn." Pekis took out his minigun, the barrels turning, he held down the trigger. The Vex mind follow the stream of arc rounds to its source, a volley ordinance sent in retaliation. Pekis' shields held, seeing the threat of the weapon called out to his friends. "Take out its gun!"

"Got it!" Bitsine fired another rocket destroying the torch hammer, and the hand attached to it.

Kelly used her Frenzy fusion rifle behind it. "Pour it on."

The Primeval Mind, its arm lost, and under attack from all sides, was desperate. Its master was desperate. In a panic, it rushed the Fallen hunter, raising its leg to crush him. Pekis dropped his gun, and dodged, the shockwave forced him to fall on his side. He unholstered his shock pistols, continue fire on his back, aiming for the exposed mind core in its chest. "Come on! What else you got!?"

To answer his question, the mind ripped a broken support column out of the foundation, and used to hammer him. Pekis rolled out of the way, getting back on his feet just before the Vex lifted the column, and threw it at him. debris hit the moving hunter, focusing his sight, he could see the cracks forming on the fluid case. "Focus on the mind core, its starting to give!"

The two other guardians did as he said. The Primeval Mind detected the damage its core was sustaining. In a hopeless bid for survival, the mind covered his chest with its hand. "Is that a joke!?" Bitsine fire another rocket, taking off the last arm, and forcing the Vex to the floor.

Seeing the chance, Pekis jump on top of it, using his light to form a solar knife. His head hurt immediately, more visions of his soon to be discovered past flashed before him. Refusing to be distracted, the Fallen jammed the knife into the core, the heat already having the desired effect on the radiolaria inside, but was not enough. Pekis lifted his foot, stomping on the handle until the hole thing was inside when it went critical. The blade erupted in a small, but effective detonation, destroying the core from the inside out.

The last of the Sol Progeny dead, and the remaining power it had left gone, the Heart grew more unstable, unable to exist with what it had left. The guardians watch as their target began to shrink, compacting itself as the energy around it fluctuated wildly, going out of control.

Pekis thought his search was finally over, the Heart would die, and his head would clear, but it was not that simple. As the Heart grew weaker, the darkness in his body would not leave without a fight. Pekis felt immense pain coming on again. He dropped to the floor clutching his head once again, howling from the darkness' last act of defiance.

Kelly, and Bitsine saw him hit the floor, rushing to his side. "Pekis!?"

The darkness pulled at his mind, dragging it into his subconscious. There they would have their final dance.


	27. Chapter 27

Earth, Last City, Tower

In his private chamber of the North tower, the one who spoke for the Traveler spent his time in his work. Standing at his desk, the Speaker looked over various documents brought to him by the Vanguard: Guardian positions outside the city, status reports on the Traveler's condition, recovered Golden Age information, etc.

While he did his duties, the Speaker couldn't help, but think about a certain fireteam. He knew well of the deeds done by those three guardians. The victories they had, the foes they'd slain, the places they've been. For a recently formed team of Guardians, they had indeed done well, but it was not enough.

The Cities enemies had been dealt great blows. The deaths of Sepiks Prime, and the rising Archon, Riksis, had demoralized, and throw the House of Devils leadership into disarray. The ritual conducted in the Hive fortress on Luna had been stopped, and the shard they used against the Traveler returned to it. The Vex network suffered a great loss to their network with the destruction of the Gate Lord, Zydron. The most recent report Burning Light sent from Mars indicated they brought down Cabal Primus, cutting the head off one of the many Legions of the Cabal.

The Fallen, Hive, Vex, and Cabal have been done great blows, but they would not stop. New leaders would rise, new plans will be formed, and they will seek retribution. On top of it all, the shroud that surrounds the city did not weaken. Distracted by his thoughts, the Speaker turned away from his work to contemplate. "What will it take?"

"Talking to yourself again I see." The Speaker's Ghost commented.

"Just thinking out loud. As good as our recent successes have been, it's only a matter of time before our enemies are resurgent."

"Still a bucket of optimism as usual." The Ghost said sarcastically. "You could try being happier under your mask. After all, when was the last time the Vex, or Cabal got a good kick in the jugulars?"

"I'm being a realist. Our victories are only in the short term. The Fallen will find new ways to survive, The Vex still have machine their planets, and from what Zavala has informed me, we are now in a war with the Cabal."

"And we still have the light, the City, and the new Guardians that are going to cut out the Black Garden's heart."

The Speaker didn't say anything. He knew of their mission to destroy the Darkness in the Garden. The fragment keeping the Traveler from healing, protected by legions of Vex. "Let's hope they can see it through."

"I'm sure they will."

The Speaker was about to return to his work when something happened. Stopping in his tracks, he could feel something. 'What is this?'

His Ghost appeared in front of him. "Do you feel it? The Darkness, It's-"

The Speaker walked past him, heading downstairs, he made his way to the back of his tower. Staring out at the Traveler, he could sense it. "The Traveler's light! It's returning!" He was right. The veil of Darkness that covered the City was weakening, allowing the light to shine brightly once more. 'They did it!' "Ghost, send a message to all Guardians. Call them home."

_ Pekis' Mind, Dark Forest

Pekis found himself inside the dark forest yet again. Lifting himself on the grass, Pekis looked around the clearing. The sky overhead was completely overcast. It was impossible to see beyond the treeline, the darkness inside blocking out any light from getting in. "Here again?" A breeze past by, loose blades of grass blown in his direction. Pekis stared at the direction the wind came from. It didn't feel right to him, it wasn't ordinary wind. 'Something's there.'

The hunter's instincts were spot on. Staying out of sight, the darkness had manifested its emissary. The being in question watched him while form finished developing. He was angry. With the Heart dying, he himself was fading away along with the power that made him. Before it was simple enough to manifest himself, now it was taking everything the fragment of darkness had. If he was going to die, he would leave Pekis' body a mindless husk.

Pekis stood valiantly, his wight leaving an impression on the field, and light-spirited for a fight. It would have to do. In this place, he didn't have his weapons, and his friends couldn't help him from their end, not even his Ghost. And he couldn't count on his imagination to bail him out. It may have been his head, but he wasn't in his own territory. Hand to hand combat, and Light would be his best bet. "Come out! I know you're there!" Pekis moved his right leg back, getting ready to move. "You've been living here for long enough! Time for your eviction!"

"Not without a proper goodbye." The words echoed through the forest. Heavy footsteps followed, tree branches broke by the large figure passing. Pekis watched as his old foe stepped out of the shadows. "It's rude to treat an old friend like that."

Pekis glared at the Shadow Kell. Those pitch-black eyes he had didn't change. "Eat me. You've overstayed your welcome. You can either get out, and die in a corner, or I can kill you myself. I'm fine either way, but I hope you choose the latter. You had it coming for a long time."

"He-he, you want to fight me? That hasn't worked out well for you before."

Pekis took off his helmet, showing off his teeth with his growling. "Don't worry. I intend to pay you back for that in full." He formed a sword of Light in his hand. "I'll use this to carve "dept repaid" into your hide. Shouldn't be too hard now. With the Heart dying, your losing strength as well, aren't you?"

Shadow Kell scowled. He couldn't deny it. The dark forest was connected to the Heart. The connection severed, this realm would not last. His anger peaking, he swung his arm where a blade of Darkness cut into the ground, leaving behind a trench in front of him. "Don't get too confident!" Shadow Kell held up the blade, pointing the end at the hunter. "You can still die, and I intend to have a taste of your Light after I run my blade through you again."

Pekis undid the latches connecting his cap to his armor. "You won't get that chance." Gripping his sword his two hands, Pekis took a fighting stance.

Shadow Kell did so as well. "We'll see."

The two were locked in a staredown, a gust of wind blowing past them. Leaves from the nearby trees scattered all around them, slowly raining down onto the grass. The last one hit, prompting the Fallen of Light, and Dark to engage. Pekis charged, dragging the tip of his sword along the ground. "Get out of my head!"

"I'm taking you with me!" Shadow Kelly did the same, his presence leaving a dark trail behind.

The gap between them shortened, with a few yards left Pekis jumped into the air, holding the sword in both hands over his head. Seeing the attack coming, Shadow Kell raise his blade, blocking the Guardian's sword in mid-air. Sparks flew, the opposing energies clashed, polar opposites struggling for dominance. The two Fallen snarled at each other, putting everything they had. In a draw, there was flash, and the two were pushed away from each other. "Damn it!" Pekis landed on his feet, sliding on the grass, impaling his sword to stop. He got back up, running sword in hand.

Shadow Kell stumbled, regaining his footing, he swung his sword. Pekis slid, leaning as far back as he could to avoid being cut with only a few hairs being taken off. directly underneath, Pekis delivered a deep cut into his leg, his Light caused severe burns on contact. Enraged, Shadow Kell spun around, send his other leg to strike the Hunter. Pekis block the kick with two arms, but couldn't stop from being kicked away. Shadow Kell followed running. Rolling, Pekis dug his claws into the ground to stop just in time to see his enemy coming in full force. Getting up, he winced at the pain his arms were feeling. 'I have to be careful fighting someone that size. With his sword, he might be able to finish me in one blow.'

Shadow Kell swung his blade wildly. The Hunter did his best to dodge, having to use his sword to parry was not easy against a larger opponent. Retracting his arm, the dark Fallen extended it with the intent for a single implement. Thinking fast, the Hunter slammed the side of his sword against the dark one, pushing with two hands to redirect the attack. The sword grazed just past his head, the edge cutting through his shoulder, taking some bits of armor with it. "AAHHH!"

Seeing an opportunity, he pulled himself from the sword's edge, moving forward, Pekis brought his light down, taking off the sword wielding hand that hurt him. "AAHHH! YOU LITTLE..." Shadow Kell channel his draining Darkness into one of his other hands, creating a blast aimed at the Light Fallen. The attack pushed Pekis away, his armor taking the brunt of it, it cracked, and chipped.

Looking down at his severed appendage, his hand oozed a black substance before vaporizing. Normally it would be simple enough to regrow a new one, but that was no longer the case. "You take my hand, I'll take your limbs!" He picked up his fallen sword with another hand.

Feeling a warm feeling trailing down inside his suit, Pekis placed a hand on his shoulder. bringing it to his face, his palm was stained blue. "Really wish, Ghost, was here." The sound of heavy footstep caught his attention. Standing over him, Shadow Kell held his sword up then slammed it down. Pekis block with his own, barely holding him off as the Kell sized Fallen gain ground. Pekis' sword held, but his arms were not as strong, and the gash in his shoulder made it harder. The dark blade reached closer to him, back up by its wielder pushing down with his three remaining hands. The edge almost making contact, Pekis had little time. 'Come on! Come on! Think! He's dying with this place! I can kill him! Think!'

Shadow Kell felt a surge of accomplishment. The source of his power would be avenged, the being he was created to destroy would be slain.

Pekis was seemed to be in a hopeless situation. The dark sword was a hair away from cutting through him, and his arms were failing. 'This is how it ends? I killed the Black Garden's heart, then I'm killed by some fake Fallen in my head!' Pekis thought when he finished the mission he would get the answers to his questions. Not this. ' Damn it! The Darkness is dying! Why can't- Wait a minute. If the Darkness is dying then..." Pekis opened his lower hand, and focused. In his palm, solar Light appeared, its warmth took solid form in the shape of a knife. "YES!" Seconds to spare, Pekis threw the solar knife, nailing Shadow Kell in the thigh.

"AAHHH!" Shadow Kell felt a burning sensation in his leg. The next thing he knew there was an explosion, and it became impossible to stand up. With a big hole in his thigh, he fell back roaring in pain.

A great amount of relief washed over Pekis. Tired, he fell to his knees, wheezing. "I...knew it. With your Darkness dying...the Light is coming in." Wanting to do something about his shoulder, he held out his hand, and focused. At first, it was just a spark, then his palm was like a flashlight. He put it on his wound. "That feels better." Pekis felt the cut closing up, his strength returning.

Shadow Kell laid on his back, a big cauterized hole in his leg made it to difficult to get up. He cursed his deteriorating situation. If he had acted sooner, he would have been able to kill Pekis with ease. Now he was at a disadvantage. Lifting his torso on his elbows, he saw darkness seeping out of his leg. 'Only one thing I can do.'

After repairing his wounds, Pekis got back on his feet. His enemy on the ground, he moved in for the finisher. Raising his sword over his head, he prepared for the final blow when a cloud of smoke engulfed him. Pekis coughed, unable to see he back away. His sword vanished in his hand, and he could feel his light being suppressed. "Cheap trick." Pekis escaped the cloud, he could hear disturbing morphing sounds on the other side, it sent a chill up his spine. "Disgusting."

When the cloud dissipated, Pekis' eyes opened wide. Before him, Shadow Kell stood with his wounds healed, but definitely different. His size had shrunk to Pekis'. "You will pay for this!" In order to heal himself, he had to decrease his size to ration the darkness in his body. Without the Heart, he couldn't get any more.

"And here I thought you were turning into a monster. You just made it easier for me to kill you."

Shadow Kell equipped his sword again, albeit a much smaller one. "Don't get too full of yourself. You are defenseless now."

Pekis raise his hands, and took a fighting stance. "Then come at me!"

Shadow Kell charge. With Pekis' Light suppressed from his earlier countermeasure, and with no weapon at his disposal, he was sure victory was his. "DIE!" Shadow Kell swung his sword, Pekis leaned back, the edge just grazing his armored chest. Just as he was going to bring his sword back, Pekis grabbed his wrist. "Let go!" Shadow Kell tried to push him away with his other arms, but Pekis matched them with his.

Their fingers locked together, the two Fallen's faces inches away. Pekis leaned in closer, growling. "This is the first fair fight you've been in, isn't it." He pulled back, throwing Shadow Kell off balance, and sending a knee to his stomach.

"Ugh, You-" Pekis punch him in the face, cutting him off. He tried to retaliate, focusing his Darkness into his hand to ward him off, but Pekis didn't let up. Shadow Kell suffered multiple blows from the Hunter, his armor giving him some protection, but still felt pain. "Enough!" He sent out a blast of Darkness again, pushing Pekis away, and further damaging his armor.

Large pieces fell of his body. His armor in shambles, Pekis pull off the remaining bits, leaving only his leg armor and skin suit.

Still reeling from the assault, Shadow Kell helmet felt constricting. To ease himself, he yanked it off giving his head breathing room. His face mask followed, the two pieces vanished hitting the ground.

Pekis regained his focus. He worked out some cricks in his neck, then turned his sight back to his enemy. But something was off. Shadow Kell had removed his helmet, allowing Pekis to see the face that lied inside. 'What?'

Shadow Kell recovered. Charging, he repeatedly swung his blade. Pekis step back to avoid getting hit. The thrusts didn't let up, Pekis continue to lose ground, so fixated on his face he didn't fight back, or notice the tree getting closer until it hit his back. "I have you now!" Shadow Kell attempted a deep diagonal cut to finish him.

Snapping out of his fixation, Pekis realized something came back. "Just in time!" Pekis blocked with his sword of Light. The effect of the black smoke worn off, it was his chance to turn the table yet again. The two opposing forces clashed, wielders trying to overpower the other in their stalemate. Just inches away from each out, Pekis had a clear look at who he was dealing with. Shadow Kell's face...It was almost like Pekis', albeit much older looking, and with some facial differences. To Pekis it was almost like looking in a mirror. "Who are you!?"

Sparks dropping to the ground, Shadow kell answered. "I told you before! I was your beginning!" He pulled his sword hard to the side, taking Pekis' with it, and grazing the side of his face. A knee to the crotch followed, dropping Pekis to the ground. "And I will be your end!" He readied his sword for the final strike.

Pekis wasn't sure he could do anything at the moment. He just had to have his major weakness exploited. Suddenly, a wave of power surged through him. "About time."

"You're out of time." Shadow Kell brought his sword down. Victory seemed assured when a flash of light blinded him. His blade cut through something, but he couldn't tell what. His vision cleared showing that his only pierced the ground. "What!?"

"Behind you." Shadow Kell spun around to receive a pain in his stomach. That pain was followed by a minor shock from the object running through his abdomen. Looking up, Shadow kell saw the hunter glowing with arc energy. Lighting danced all around Pekis while he dug his arc sword deeper. "Hurt? I would know considering our past encounters. What's it like being on the other end?"

Shadow Kell coughed, the dark substance that made him spilling out of his mouth. "You..." He raised his arm, hoping to get revenge, but was far to slow.

Pekis impaled his shoulder with his second arc sword. "That was for earlier." Roughly, he yanked his sword right out of him, staining his suit with black blood, kicking the dying imitation to the ground.

His back against the tree base, Shadow Kell could do much other than make pain filled gurgling sounds while he bled out. "You...You think you want truth? All you'll find...is pain."

Pekis hesitated. What could he mean? What could possibly be so horrifying? His resolve shaken, he let his grip slack. Does he really want to know his past? Would everything he strove to achieve ultimately backfire? He closed his eyes, the images of his adventures flashed. The friends he made, the home he found, the love he met, everything he was fighting for. 'It won't be for nothing.' His grip tighten, the light of his arc swords brightened with every passing second as his resolve strengthened once more. "My pain is not your problem! Now get!" The power of his swords grew so intense that bolts of lightning struck around them, hitting the ground, and trees around them. The Darkness that they were made off destroyed on contact, creating fissures for the light to break through. "The HELL!" Pekis brought his swords together, their light merging into one. He held up a great blade weapon of the light in two hands, it's size double of the ones used to make it. Raising it up, the entity coward in fear before his might. "OUT!"

Pekis pierced through his chest, and the tree behind him. Through the blade, he could feel the light spreading into the imitation, destroying him from the inside out. Pekis used the sword to pull him up to eye level. Shadow Kell howled, a beam of Light shooting out his mouth as the dark reality around them crumbled. "GOODBYE!" Pekis shoved the sword up to the hilt in him, the pitch blackness of his eyes burned out from behind.

Shadow Kell's body exploded in a burst of blinding light. The blast consumed Pekis, destroying the tattered remains of the Dark Forest forever. His mind free, Pekis felt a moment of joy before clarity set in. And with that clarity, every painful detail he sought.

Every last one.

_ Mars, Meridian Bay, Black Garden

"Pekis, wake up!" Bitsine straddled Pekis' chest delivering slap after slap to wake the unconscious Hunter. So far the method has proven ineffective. "I'm not hauling your heavy ass out of here! And my hand is getting sore from hitting you!"

Kelly sat beside his head. holding back her tears, she opened one of his eyelids, the usual blue glow was still there, so he couldn't be dead. "Ghost, shine a light."

Kelly Ghost did as she requested, emitting focused light into Pekis eye. "Hmm, I'm not detecting any changes in his pupil. It's unresponsive."

"Is that bad?" Bitsine got off him, getting on one knee on the other side.

"Depends on what you consider bad. It basically means that his brain-stem reflexes aren't working. Like he's in a coma."

"I would definitely consider that bad!"

"It's like what happened after he killed Sepiks." Kelly remembered those days when Pekis was stuck in the medical ward. "He better not be stuck like this. I will never forgive him."

"Screw that!" Bitsine resumed hitting him.

Pekis' Ghost had enough, appearing in front of the Titian. "Will you stop that! It's not helping, it's just making it harder for me to get a good scan." Turning back to his Guardian, he noticed his head was leaning to the side, and pushed to face it up. "I did not search for centuries for it to end like this."

"Did you get anything useful?" Kelly hoped he would have answers.

"I'm not sure. From what I can tell the darkness in him gone, but he is displaying some unusual activity in his limbic system. Or at least what I assume is the Eliksni equivalent of a limbic system."

Kelly could tell Bitsine was not following. "It's the part of the brain that controls memory."

"No, I knew that." She didn't.

"Anyway," Pekis' Ghost continued, " Pekis', limbic system is acting up. Like it's processing a large amount of information at once."

"Is that good?" Bitsine asked, getting the gist of it.

"I think It's safe to say that, Pekis, is getting his memory, but getting back decades worth of information all at once? I don't know how that could affect his mental state, or the rest of him."

"You don't know? Aren't you his Ghost?"

"Hey, I usually go off of what I've learned from his biology. It's not like I've floated up to every Fallen I've seen, and asked if they could tell me how their bodies work. And the computers I've scanned weren't focal points for that kind of information."

"That's fine, Ghost," Kelly assured him. "But can you tell us when he might wake up? I'm not looking forward to lonely nights in-" She stopped remembering Bitsine was with them.

"I don't know, but I'm hoping its soon. But even if it takes years, I won't leave his side."

Bitsine stood up. "Years is something we might not have years. You heard the Speaker. The Darkness is coming back."

Kelly stood up. "And what do you suggest? We shoot, Pekis, his Ghost brings him back, and when he does, he's awake?"

"I hadn't thought of that. Let's save that as a last resort." Kelly was appalled. "But right now, what I'm thinking, Ghosts, you three do that thing you do when you attack us with our helmets. If that doesn't work we get a bowl of warm water, and stick his hand in it. That use to work with troops back at my old base who kept sleeping in. If is doesn't, then, Kelly, you take him back to your room, and-" Pekis shot straight up, scaring the crap out of everyone. "Or he could just wake up now."

"Pekis!" Kelly got on her knees, wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his neck

Pekis' Ghost did the same, minus the arms. "Yes, I thought you were going to be vegetable for years!"

Bitsine placed a hand on his shoulder. "About time you woke up. I did not look forward to carrying you."

"Please stop passing out on us." Feel the warmth of his Fallen skin put Kelly at ease. It wasn't until she felt something wet on her cheek that she realized that something was wrong. "Pekis?" Pulling away, Kelly's heart sank, seeing the tears falling down his face.

Pekis didn't even notice what was going on around him, far too lost in the pain of remembrance. His breathing variable, he could not make even the simplest of sounds. Not that it mattered for there was no sound to describe what he was feeling. Pekis' mandibles began to twitch. "I-I-I-I r-remember." His voice was breaking.

Everyone gave him space. Even his Ghost who vowed to stay by his side no matter what was speechless. What could this mean? For him? For all of them? Floating up to his face, he dared ask, "Remember what?"

The air was dead silent. No one spoke a word. All eyes, Exo, Human, and Ghost alike, trained on Pekis. The hunter's tears began to fall onto his lap, his mandibles moved finding the strength to make words. "E-E-Everything..." In that moment the only emotions he had were sorrow, hopelessness, and failure. He just wanted to lie on the floor, and die there.

"S-S-Shit." Bitsine voice was just above a whisper. Nothing she could say could help him now.

Kelly wanted to reach out to him once more. To comfort him, to let him know that she was with him, but she didn't know how. What could he be remembering?

After what seemed like an eternity, Pekis found it in himself to stand. His demeanor unchanged, he turned his back to the pedestal the Heart use to reside over. "I want to leave now."

His teammates hesitate before Kelly said something. "Okay." She grabbed his hand, gently pulling him with her. "Let's go home."

Watching them go on ahead, Bitsine's Ghost spoke to her. "I'm receiving a message from the Tower, from the Speaker. He says that Light returns to the Traveler, and He's calling all of us home."

That didn't matter to her at the moment. Bitsine, seeing he was in no shape to fight, sprinted past them. "I'll go up ahead, and make sure there are no stragglers to bother us."

"Okay, be careful." Kelly said not letting go.

As Pekis walked, he left a trail of tears behind. Tears that would forever be a reminder of their bittersweet victory.

_ Several Hours Later, DawnEarth, Last City, Tower

On route to the hanger, Kelly piloted the ship while Pekis sat in the passenger seat. His tears never ceased. His head was slumped against the cockpit, and he didn't say a word the entire time, no one did. Kelly looked behind her, seeing Pekis, the one who never seemed to waver no matter the odds, in such a state almost made her cry.

On approach, Hanger workers guided them to open landing spots. Touching down, Bitsine was the first to exit, who was then approached by workers. "Heroes of the hour return!"

Bitsine was caught off guard. "Pardon?"

"That's was the Speaker has been saying." The second worker said. "Apparently you three saved the Traveler. He's holding a big assemble in the courtyard. He wants everyone there."

"Oh. Okay, uh, We'll be there in a little bit." Normally Bitsine would be thrilled by the appraisal, but right now she wasn't in the mood.

"Don't take to long." The two workers left, leaving Burning Light the only ones left in the hanger

"Did you guys hear that? We're heroes."

Kelly responded. "Don't worry we heard." She looked behind her, Pekis still didn't move. "We're heroes, Pekis. You're a hero."

Pekis moved his head slightly, his eye color changed from the tears. "I'm no hero. I'm just a fool who thought he could change things." He transmated out of the ship, barely sticking the landing of the hanger floor.

"Hey, you're finally moving!" Bitsine was about to give him a pat on the back when he gestured for her not to come closer. "Pekis?"

"That's not even my name. Not my complete one." Pekis' voice was still full of sorrow. "I want to be alone." The Hunter walked off, his posture was one of despair.

Kelly exited the ship. Looking around she saw Pekis walking toward the hangar entrance. "Pekis?"

Bitsine put her hand on her shoulder. "Leave him. He needs time."

Kelly took one last at him, who chose to sit at the edge of the hanger, his legs dangling over the drop down. 'I'm here for you.' The two guardians left to the courtyard, leaving him to sulk. "When do you think he'll get better?"

"Don't know. We don't know what he lost. But seeing that he's still not trying to kill us on sight, I'd say he definitely different."

In the Courtyard, Kelly, and Bitsine arrived just in time to hear the Speaker giving his speech to the crowd of Guardians from the Vanguard to the simplest of scouts. They merged in with the rest of them giving every word spoken their full attention.

"For centuries we feared the forces of Darkness massing against us. We sought to hide, and cower beneath a broken god. No more. These Guardians show us what we are, what we have always been, and what we will be again. We are what remains of the Light...And we will not be stamped out."

In the Hanger, Pekis could hear the words of the Speaker, tuning them out while staring at the drop beneath him. Shadow Kell had spoken the truth. All he found in his memories was pain. He had lost everyone he grew to care for. His plans, his hopes for the future went up in flames long ago. In some cases literally. As an outcast, and traitor to his people, he could not hope to try again for their was no one would listen to him. Not anymore.

Looking down, the fall looked mighty enticing. A fitting, and brief way to end his suffering. He leaned forward.

"You better not!" His Ghost appeared, pushing his torso back before it was too late. "What are you thinking!? Do you want to die!?"

"Why not? It doesn't sound so bad. Not anymore."

His Ghost couldn't believe was he was hearing. "Are you insane!? You can't kill yourself! I won't let you!"

"Why not!? What exactly am I living for!?" Pekis got up. "Everyone I cared about is dead, Everyone of my people wants me dead, they're still the pirates they've always been, and nothing is going to change that! I said it before, and I'll say it again you wouldn't understand, because you're a Ghost! You don't know what it's like to lose everyone you love."

Pekis' Ghost dropped his helmet of him again. "You idiot! You're not alone in any of this! What about everyone you've met since I brought you back!? You telling me that they don't mean anything to you anymore!?"

Pekis stopped at those words. What about everyone he has met? He had forgotten about them. "No, I..." Pekis was unsure of himself. How much did they still mean to him? To him, his last horrifying memories seems to have only occurred a short while ago. His mate that he couldn't protect made him think of his new one. 'Kelly.' Thinking about her made him feel like an unloyal bastard. It had been decades since he lost his last love, but it still felt like hours ago. The feelings, the heartache, the loss was still fresh. Not to mention the future she had growing inside her. "Vithras." Pekis dropped to his knees, new heartache consuming him. "I was going to be..."

"It's a pretty day for speeches, and metals." The Hunter, and Ghost were spooked by the sudden appearance of a familiar face. "But we know the real fight takes place out there."

Pekis got back on his feet, joining the Exo Stranger looking out at the horizon with her pulse rifle in hand. "You were right. I didn't like what I found. I wish I didn't find it."

The Stranger looked at him with empathy. "I'm sorry, Guardian. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. That pain can be the thing that drags you into the Darkness." She picked up her rifle, holding it in two hands. "Or it can be the fuel that lights your fire. It depends on the choices you make." She held out her gun for him. "Take this."

Pekis look at her offering then asked, "Why."

"I know it hurts now, but there's still so much more, Guardian." Pekis accepted it. "I've seen terrible things born out in the Darkness. Every moment brings them closer. You are here, because your Great machine needs you. So you must answer the call."

Pekis looked over his new gun, before looking back at her. "What could it need from a failure like me?"

The Stranger looked at the Traveler. "I do not know. Your old life ended that day you fell on his blade. All ends are beginnings...Our fight is far from over." She walked over the edge, vanishing from sight just as she had before.

There was a pause before the Ghost said something. "What now?"

Pekis holster the Stranger's Rifle on his back. There was still so many things he was confused about. His pain still did not dissipate. As much as he wanted it to, it was stuck with him. "I don't know." He walked away, his destination being his room. 'All ends are beginnings? Maybe my end should have just stayed that way.'


	28. Chapter 28

**One Week Later, Afternoon**

 **Earth, Last City, Tower**

In the week that followed the Black Garden's heart being destroyed, Things in the City had begun to change. The news had spread far, and fast. The City Consensus received word from the Speaker, and Vanguard to release the information on all public transmissions. One by one, the citizens of the Last City felt the rekindling of hope as they told their friends and loved ones of the battle that was won against the Darkness.

In the Tower, Guardians home, and afar Celebrated in their own way. The Light returning to their god again, Hunters out in the wilderness gathered together around fires in the night, sharing the stories they gathered during their adventures. Though most of them had orders from the Vanguard to be elsewhere, What could be done? They were Hunters, and now was a time to have fun. In one gathering specifically, a certain Exo was chatting up some Hunters of the feminine persuasion. "So by the time we got there, a baron was this close to cutting him open, so Ellie hits the throttle, and shish kebab the bastard. Then she gently floats down in front of him like it's no big deal."

An Awoken Hunter listening to Crux leaned towards him with a question. "So where were you when this was happening?"

He laid back, propping his feet on a nearby rock. "Oh, nothing special. I was just using my sparrow to ram right through Fallen lines. No biggie. You probably have done the same thing a lot of times."

"Once or twice. You want to find out who's better?"

"You're on."

Titans, hearing of the feats done by one of their former enemies, were pushed to strive for greater heights. Since the founding of the city, Titans stood as the symbol of Wall's strength, and resilience. To risk one of the Fallen surpassing them was unthinkable after the battles of Six Fronts, and Twilight Gap. It had truly been too long since Shaxx had seen such an influx of Guardians entering the Crucible to test themselves, and in truth, it made him as happy as he could be. Now if only said Hunter would also participate. 'He would definitely give them a worthy challenge.' Looking down at his datapad, Shaxx was in the process of preparing the Crucible for Lord Saladin's return. "I hope we get to see how well he handles the Iron Banner." He said to no one in particular.

"Shaxx," Shaxx's Frame, Arcite 99-40, walked up to him. "We just received a message from, Lord Saladin. He will be arriving within four days."

Warlocks, who generally enjoy going over new information whether it'd be about the City's enemies, or some new discovery, were ecstatic when Burning Light brought back dozens of encrypted Vex mind cores. While only a few would be able to work on decrypting them, the whole of them waited patiently, passing time by enjoying the company of their teammates, finding new hobbies to occupy them, or just head beyond the city, and crush their enemies.

In the Tower, The Warlock libraries were bustling more than usual. As expected, their main focus was unlocking the secrets of the mind cores. For a week, Dozens of Warlocks worked together tirelessly to hack the encryptions. Algorithms and code blanketed the Libraries' computer screens. Each core was examined, prodded, and scanned. If there was one thing the Vex were good at, it was keeping their secrets safe. So far the Warlocks barely scratched the surface, but progress was being made.

At one of the terminals, an orange-red hair English woman worked just as hard as the rest of the Warlocks. After their return, Kelly was offered the opportunity to help with the decoding for their impressive job of gathering intelligence. While deciphering, and hacking was never her forte, she proved to be a quick study, "Damn it." but still had much to learn. "That didn't work." Kelly stopped to think. "Okay, let's try this." She resumed punching in commands.

"Maybe you should take five." Kelly's Ghost suggested while simultaneously trying to crack the Vex firewalls. "You've been at it for days. You deserve time off."

"No," Kelly said in an authoritative tone. "We're the ones who brought these things back, so we have to help."

"Yes, I get that, but you won't be of help to anyone if you burn yourself out." Kelly's Ghost was worried. She had been up for three nights straight, wearing herself out staring at computer screens. He had a strong suspicion of what it was about. "Look you can't keep going like this forever. You need to sleep."

"What I need is to break open those mind cores." Kelly was so frustrated she considered making that statement literal. Rubbing her eyes, she let out a yawn. "Now did you send the data we collected to Ikora as I asked?"

Her Ghost cut the power to her computer. "This has got to stop. You need to sleep before you start making mistakes."

"Fine. Wake me up in an hour." Kelly rested her head on the dest in front of her and shut her eyes.

Her Ghost gave her a good knock on the head. "Not like that! I'm not going to be the Ghost of a Guardian who has no life outside of work. Go to our room, and sleep on a bed."

"NO. I'm sleeping here." It became much too hard to go back to her room. Not since Pekis had separated their beds, and had done nothing, but lay down, unresponsive to everyone. The nights were much colder without him, and the quiet sobbing in his pillow made her heartache. At the beginning of his suffering, she tried to help, but he wouldn't let anyone in. He's just been wasting away.

Kelly's Ghost was about to continue the argument when he received a transmission. "I'm getting a call from Bitsine."

Sighing, Kelly lifted her head up. "What now? Put it through."

Her Ghost emitted a beam of light at the computer bringing it back to life. The first thing on screen was the image of an Exo wearing a standard Tower worker uniform sitting on a crate. "Hellooo-whoa, you don't look good."

"Thanks, It's nice to hear that." She said sarcastically.

"Can you blame me?" The first thing Bitsine noticed was the newly forming bags under her eyes. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I was about to, then you called."

Bitsine took notice of the background she was in. "Uh-huh, and when did you suddenly get more roommates?"

"Is there a reason you called?" Kelly was not in the mood.

"Just checking in. We haven't talked in a week, so I thought I'd call while I'm on break."

"Oh yeah, and how is construction duty. I hope you're fixing that hole you made."

"We got that done a while ago. Now the Vanguard have me unloading cargo shuttles for the next few weeks. And I'm pretty sure they're giving me the heaviest stuff on purpose." Bitisine took a minute to stretch her arms. Since she refused to do anything to repay the damages done to Dead Orbit's equipment, They've decided to have her do some of the hard jobs around the Tower. Apparently giving inspiration/insulting speeches about city factions instead of following orders is considered insubordination. 'Totally worth it.' Turning back to Kelly, "So how is the 7-foot stack of problems been lately. Is he talking yet?"

Kelly looked away. He hadn't gotten much better as far as she knew.

"He stopped crying if that counts." Kelly's Ghost answered.

She was surprised. "How do you know?"

"His Ghost has been sending me messages on his condition. He still isn't in a talking mood though."

Bitsine stayed quiet. Pekis had always seemed like the type that couldn't be brought down. For something, he went through to reduce him to wreak he was now was unthinkable until now. "He better get better soon. It's not good to keep the Vanguard waiting."

After their mission was complete, and the Speaker had spoken, Kelly and Bitsine submitted their report to the Vanguard on the Black Garden. Naturally, they were proud, except Cayde who wished it was him out there. But it was the part about the Hunter of their team that truly interested them. His memory restored, Pekis became a potentially huge boon, or equally possible, a major threat. When asked about his current...condition, Bitsine told them, "He's not trying to kill everyone, if that's what you're worried about." That, and being informed of his current state of mind placated the Vanguard for the time being. But even with the death of the Heart, there were many more threats on the horizon and the City needs every edge it can get. So time was of the essence.

"Have you tried talking to him lately?"

Kelly sighed, "Not for a few days. I've tried to before, but he's just..." She was trying to hold back her emotions.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, no, it's fine."

before Bitsine could say anything, a man was heard on the feed. "Bitsine, Break's over. Time to get back to it."

"Got to go." Bitsine got off the crate she used, and just before she cut the feed she leaned forward to whisper, "By the way, I think you two are good for each other."

"...Wait, what!?"

Bitsine killed the Feed.

 **50 Years ago, The Year 3664**

 **House of Kings Lair, Unknown location**

The throne room of Peldaks was awfully noisy. The entire House of Kings, on Earth, and beyond, was in an uproar as confusion swept through the ranks from the recent revelations. From the main fortress to outposts scattered around the system, Fallen of all ranks had questions and no clear answers.

In one outpost, After receiving orders, and names from a baron working under the Kell of kings, the Baron in charge put the base on alert, ordering his men to start rounding up everyone on the list he received. Outside one of the constructed barracks, a crowd of Fallen gathers around the entrance weapons in hand as they heard the sound of gunfire, and yelling coming from inside. The last to arrive was a dreg carrying a standard Shock knife, and pistol. "What's happening?" He asked a fellow dreg.

After the sounds of gunshots ceased, the dreg turned to her fellow. "I don't know. I just heard something about a rebellion."

A few minutes later, a captain holding a Shrapnel Launcher burst out of the exit, followed by two vandals with Shock Rifles. Behind them followed a line of vandals, and dregs, who had been named, obviously wounded in the fighting, and had surrendered hoping for mercy. Their captain had been killed by a sword to the heart, and they were now leaderless. At the end of the line, the dreg had recognized a friend. "Sildirk!?" The dreg pushed through the crowd, wanting to get a better look. "Sildirk, what's happening!? What was all that fighting!?"

Sildirk didn't say anything. He and all the other kept their heads down in defeat. Before the dreg could get closer, a rifle butt knocked him to the ground. "Do not try to help these traitors!" A vandal said looking down at the lowly dreg.

"But he's my friend! What are you-" A sword to the chest stopped him from saying anything else.

"Yevkes!" Sildirk stepped out of line but was shot in the head before he got far.

The rest were shocked, seeing their baron suddenly execute two dregs with any clear reason. "Anyone else!?" The baron pulled his sword out of Yevkes and reholstered his pistol. "Line them up!"

As ordered, the captain and his vandals line them up against the wall, then took positions as a firing squad.

The baron in charge walked in front of the guilty. Looking them over, he saw that while most wore faces of fear, some stood stoically, accepting their fate. They knew the risks they were taking when they chose to follow Peekis. They believed in his ideals and were ready to die for them.

The baron addressed the rest of the outpost. "Let it be known that this is the fate that awaits those who would betray the House! To those who would stand against Peldaks! Traitors will face the ultimate punishment!" Stepping out of the way, he signaled his men, "Fire!"

The sounds of shock and shrapnel fire drowned out everything else. In a few seconds, it was done. Blue colored blood stained the ground, and holes filled the executed. The deed done, the captain approached his baron. "What is to be done with the bodies?"

"Peldaks' orders. Pile them up, and burn them. All of them. He doesn't want their treason to spread." He looked at the dreg that met his blade. "That one too."

In a few hours, that outpost would be lit with burning pyres, just as many others would.

Back in Peldaks' throne room, Peldaks sat in his chair, his fury obvious to everyone that filled the room. "Where is he!?"

Next to him, his brother Pivraks, the Archon Priest, was equally angry. It had been some time since they both gotten word of a rebellion swelling in their ranks, and made crushing everyone involved their top priority. It was thanks to a captain, who managed to gain their leader's trust, and steal information regarding their plans that they were able to be stopped. "I received word that that, Peekis, Vithras, and Apevis have been captured. They're being brought to us as we speak."

"And their supporters?"

"Some captured the rest dead. I've sent word to all our outposts. The barons have been given the names of all those involved."

"Good. Now I want Peekis here NOW!" Peldaks was growing impatient. Just recently, he found out that one of the House of Kings' top barons was plotting an insurrection to overthrow him, and starting working with the city of ghouls that withhold the Great Machine. He wanted this filth gone. He wanted to do it himself to make an example out of them.

The next thing they knew the door opened up, but it was not who they were expecting. A vandal scribe wearing usual yellow robes came rushing through, her eyes locked on one of the Large Eliskni leaders. Her heart never stopped beating since she heard the news. "Father!"

Pivraks' anger cooled seeing his daughter. "Prevkis." Pivraks stepped down the throne to greet her.

"Silence child!" Peldaks ordered in a threatening tone, terrifying her.

Pivraks did not like that. "DO NOT SPEAK TO HER THAT WAY!" Pivraks had put up with a lot from Peldaks over the years, but that was not something he would not tolerate. He gestured for Prevkis to stay behind him, which was easy considering he was a titan compared to her.

"YOU PRESUME TO COMMAND ME, BROTHER!?" Peldaks got right off his chair, stomping his foot forward, sending vibration up the spines of everyone in the room. "Have you forgotten that I am Kell!? The House kneels to me!"

"I have not forgotten! But if your harm her I will kill you where you stand!"

The entire room was silent. Even Prevkis felt her blood run cold. She had never seen her father get like this. It was terrifying. Arguments between The Kell and Archon Priest of any house is to be expected, but when it gets to this level, it must be given a wide birth.

The two Fallen leaders were in each other's faces, the hate-filled growls resonating with each other until Peldaks back off. "I already have one thorn in my side to get rid of, Pivraks. You better not become a second."

Pivraks didn't say anything. He only glared at his brother for a few moments longer then stepped down, turning back to the one who sought him out. Looking down, he got on one knee to speak to her. "What you doing here, Prevkis?" his voice was soft and caring.

Prevkis took a moment to compose herself. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I-I came because I heard the rumors. Is it true? Are Peekis, and Vithras-"

"Hush." Pivraks felt his heart drop. He knew how close she was to them. But they were traitors now and had to be dealt with as such. He could only hope that she would understand later in life. If she couldn't then life in the House would become much for difficult for her. "Stand by the wall, don't say anything. And don't show sadness."

Before Prevkis could say anything the doors opened again. Pivraks gave her a gentle shove and stood back on his feet. Stepping into the throne room, a captain marched past the dozens of Eliksni that became silent with his presence. The captain made his way up the throne to one he wanted to report to. "Father, as promised, we have him." Paskin signaled his men.

The next to come in, two captains dragging a wounded baron by his arms. Leaving a trail of blood, Peekis' armor had been removed after his capture, leaving only his severely damaged skin suit to cover his hide. Disgrace, and branded a traitor, Peekis was no longer seen fit to wear the armor of such a rank. He was brought before the throne when the captains holding his arms dropped him, his body making a good thud against the floor. Lifting his head up, Peekis knew there would be only one place someone like him would be brought to.

Prevkis was fighting back tears when more people came in. Several vandals bringing in some of his few remaining followers, the last being a scribe, and a captain. Vithras and Aepvis were placed on either side of Peekis while their subordinates were line up on their knees making a path between Peldaks, and their leader. Peekis managed to lift himself to his knees. In a panic, he searched for his mate to find her next to him, blood dripping from her arm. "Vithras!" He tried to get closer but was stopped by a rifle butt to the head.

"Peekis!" She wanted to help him, but the weapons aimed at them made that impossible.

On the other side, Aepvis knew he couldn't do anything. "Peekis, get up." His words got him the same treatment.

Peldaks leaned forward, focused his gaze on the source of his anger. He always had suspicions about Peekis, but he never thought he was capable of this.

Standing to the side, Pivraks gave him the same look with a more a disappointed feeling. He had done so well to get to his position and look what he did with it in the end. "What a waste," he growled.

"Silence!" Peldaks ordered. Taking hold of his Shrapnel Launcher, The Kell of Kings stood up. His anger was reaching its peak. "So this is the path you chose, Peekis! treachery, disloyalty, sedition!" Peldaks shouted.

As he made his way down, the rest of the house all shouted words of abuse, throwing random objects at him, and his followers.

"Traitors!"

"Human Lovers!"

"Whore!" A vandal grabbed a piece of discarded metal, sending it flying through the air, striking Vithras in the head.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Peekis got on his feet, wanting to attack the one responsible only for a very large foot to kick him back, almost sending him to hit the wall.

"Peekis!" A vandal that had his arms restrained, tried to help, but was stopped by burning metal.

"One less traitor." Peldaks look down at the scorched vandal, the fires coming out of the gun's barrels still burning hot. The rest of Eliksni cheered at the sight.

Apevis was horrified. "NO, Stop this! We are already prisoners! This is senseless!"

Using a lower hand, Peldaks silenced him with a blow to the head. "No one questions my rule! I am Kell! This is the punishment for those who defy me!" Aepvis was forced a couple feet into the crowd still alive.

"You are no ruler!" A enrage dreg shouted. "You are false Kell! Lord Peekis is-" Another burst of shrapnel fire echoed.

Reeling from the head injury she received, Vithras was still aware of all that was happening around her. She was always disgusted with Peldaks' "leadership." To her, he was always just another tyrant, like Draksis, and Solkis. "Why deny it, Peldaks?" Vithras spat. She steadied herself on her feet with a face without fear.

Peldaks slowly turned his head to the source of that voice. "What did you say?" His voice was seething with hate.

Peekis lifted himself up in time to watch his mate stand against Peldaks. "Vithras."

"Why deny it? What have you ever done that wasn't for yourself? You sit on your throne, treating us like pawns. Force docking rituals on all that come of age to drive them to fanaticism for you. You didn't even earn the title. You stole it fro-"

Peldaks grabbed her throat, lifting her off the floor. "Not another word!"

"NO!" Peekis rushed him in desperation. When he got close Peldaks swatted him away.

As Vithras struggled for breath, attempting to pry the large fingers off her, she managed to mutter something. "I-I've seen you...kill smaller opponents...but never someone equal." Her vision started to go blurry, then Peldaks threw her away. She wrapped her arms around her stomach when she hit the floor.

"I'm the one you want, Peldaks! Leave her out of this!" Peekis said, his injuries taking their toll. His vision refocused, he saw Paskin standing off to the side watching with pride. "I trusted you, Paskin!"

"You're a traitor, Peekis!" Paskin shouted back. "You would lead us to ruin!" A large hand knocked him down.

"SILENCE!" Peldaks order, looking down at his son. "Now did you find all his followers!?"

Paskin coughed a few time from the blow before answering. "Sivkik still eludes us."

Peldaks grabbed him by the leg and threw him across the room to the exit. "Then find him! I want them all dead! And collect every prototype he was working on!"

"Yes, father." Paskin got up and limped out of the room.

"As for you." Peldaks turned back to the problem at hand. "Did you truly believe you could overthrow me?" He walked over to Peekis, kicking him over on his back, and stepped on him.

Peekis groaned under the pressure. Weazzing, he begged, "Do whatever you want to me. But leave, Vithras, alone."

"Reduced to begging now. Why should I when she is a traitor? She chose this path as you did."

"Please!"

Peldaks thought for a moment. He grabbed Peekis by the throat, lifting him over his head. "To save her life, a life must be taken in her place." He dropped him, looking over at the disgraced captain in the middle of a crowd of Eliksni. Aepvis had spent the last few minutes getting beaten from all sides. "Enough!" The crowd stopped dead silent. "Bring him to me." After a moment of hesitation, a dreg, and vandal grabbed Aepvis by his arms and dragged him over to their leader's feet. Seeing him hit the floor, Peldaks look at the dreg. "Dreg, your weapon."

The dreg looked up at him, unholstering his Shock Pistol he held it out, his hand trembling with fear.

"Not me." Peldaks dropped Peekis. "Him."

Looking at the downed traitor, the dreg placed the gun on the floor, and kick it over. The pistol bumped into Peekis' arm catching his attention.

"Stand," Peldaks ordered, taking a few steps back.

despite the pain, Peekis picked himself up, his leg slightly wobbly.

"Pick. It. Up."

Peekis felt his heart stopped. The other Eliskni in the room stood silent, keeping their weapons ready in case he tried something. Not seeing any alternative, he picked it up.

Vithras was on her knees, her hand still holding onto her stomach while she watched. She felt her stomach drop. She knew Peldaks. Whatever he had in mind, was going to be bloody. Prevkis kept a hand over her mouth. Her breathing was erratic. The only comfort at that moment was the presence of her father at her side, but she couldn't help feeling that comfort slipping away. Seeing him stand unmoved by the brutality brought upon them like this was unnerving.

Peldaks pointed to Aepvis. "Aim."

Peekis looked down at the gun in his hand. his hand shook with indecision. How could he go through with it? Apevis was his closest friend since they were dregs.

The two Eliskni stared at each other. Apevis coughed out some blood before saying, "Peekis...it's okay."

Peekis was shocked. "Aepvis..."

"You have to. Her life is more important than mine." Aepvis managed to lift himself to his knees. "I'm proud to be your friend."

Peldaks to getting sick. He aimed his Shrapnel Launcher at Vithras. "AIM!"

Seeing the threat, Peekis took aim, tears running down his face. His finger ran over the trigger. "I-I'm sorry."

"Fire!"

Peekis shut his eyes. All sound around him ceased to exist in that moment. Only the feeling as he pulled the trigger was he aware of. The shot rang in the air. A shot that would haunt him.

Apevis body fell while Vithras shouted, "AEPVIS!"

 **Present day, Afternoon**

 **Earth, Last City, Tower**

In his room, Pekis had his face buried in the pillow. His mind was lost in remembrance. He didn't know what time it was, or even the day of the week. He hadn't moved from his bed since he split them apart. All he heard was a ringing in his ears. He hadn't bothered to take off his armor. Only wanting to stay until he could figure out what to do now.

"Pekis?" His Ghost periodically appeared every now, and again, spending the time to try, and get him out of his slump. So far it was an uphill battle, but he wasn't giving. Floating circles around him, the Ghost went about the recent usual routine. "So maybe today is the day you get out of bed. You know, get out of the room, head out into the field for a walk, or maybe go explore ancient ruins for treasure. Or if you're in a bad mood we can go out, and kill some bad guys. I heard on the net that the Hive have been getting restless. What do you say? We go out to the moon, snipe some Thrall, blow up some Hive tombs."

Pekis was unresponsive. Whether he heard his Ghost or not is unknown. Getting closer, the Ghost gave his head a nudge. "Come on, say something. Give me something to work with. Even if it's just a finger twitch." Still nothing. Thinking, a light bulb turned on in his mind. "I got it. How about we invite Kelly he, and me, and her Ghost can give you two some alone time, wink, wink. Her Ghost told me that she's been working herself to the bone. I think some relaxation in order, don't you think?" Nothing.

The Ghost sighed. Still wondering what to do he decided to plant himself on top of Pekis. A moment of hesitation later, and the Ghost slowly lowered on top of a soft cushion. "Huh." He wiggled his body, digging himself deeper. "Your hair is comfy." Now the two were equally silent. The Ghost stared up at the ceiling while Pekis was buried in his pillow.

Pekis' Ghost knew there'd be problems to come with his memories, but he didn't expect him to shut down. He let his mind wander back to his journey to find his Guardian. "When I first started looking for you I was part of a group of Ghosts. After the Traveler died, we started our search heading south. back then there weren't many Fallen or Hive on Earth so we didn't need to be that careful. In the first few decades, we cleared half of Africa, saw plenty of other Ghosts find their Guardians. Most of the time it was quiet, but being with each other made up for it."

Retelling his story brought up some old feeling he had. "The first time any of us actually saw any Fallen was in Russia. A pair of dregs were looting an electronics store. I remember they started fighting over an antique cell phone. Not arguing, they actually tried to kill each other. The others wanted to stay away, but I let curiosity get the better of me. I snuck inside through a broken window when one of them had the other pinned down. I got close enough to see their faces. Teeth, and smell aside I thought they were interesting. When I tried to leave I knocked over some papers and they saw me. I got right out of there and met up with the others, but I was followed. Those dregs chased us for a few blocks when he made a turn into an ally. There was a body next to some rubble, and one of them scanned it. It had the Light wouldn't you know. A minute later, we had a Titian on our side, and those dregs weren't around for long after that."

The ringing in Pekis' ears subsided as his Ghost kept talking. "As the years passed more of us found our Guardians, or were lost. Our group got smaller until there were just two of us left." The Ghost's voice became sad. "We hitchhiked onto a Guardian's ship that was heading to the moon to search there. It was totally different from Earth. Cold, dark, no life, but Guardians were found there before so we stuck it out. Even before the Great Disaster, Luna was dangerous. Hive were digging into the planet like there was no tomorrow. Cave-ins and sinkholes litter the moon, and the Thrall were almost always on the prowl. What really caught my attention was what they were doing on the surface. They dragged any bodies they found into caves. I figured with so many we were bound to find one with Light down there. She tried to convince me it was too dangerous, but I wouldn't listen."

The Ghost turned on his side while his old despair came back. "We were lost in those tunnels for days. The Darkness was suffocating. The things the Hive do in their spare time...I would wish that on anyone. It was hard enough to hide down there. We were small, but when it comes to the Hive and the Light, there is no hiding. One wrong turn and we woke the swarm. They hunted us relentlessly with no concern for each other. Knights cleave through a Thrall, and Acolytes to get our light for themselves. Thrall butchered each other for more running space. We hid inside a cave we thought was empty. I was so focused on watching the entrance that I didn't notice a Thrall behind me until she pushed me out of the way when it took a swing at me. When I turned around...I took the next ship off the moon."

Pekis' Ghost didn't know it, but Pekis was listening to every word. "Years later I was in the Cosmodrome alone. I followed the Highway there, scanning every car along the way. Focusing on my search really helped me forget, but It always came back. I never really moved on until I found you. At first, I didn't even try to scan you. You were a Fallen after all so what could the odds possible be. But on a whim I did it anyway, and what do you know." He turned on his back to face the roof again. He didn't say anything else.

Silence filled the room once more. The Ghost thought about giving sleep a try for once when the surface he was on tilted, causing him to fall off. "What?" He floated in the air again to see his Guardian had turned his head to the side. "Movement!?" He in front of his face to see glowing eyes following him. "Welcome back." After a week, progress was finally made. 'Yes!'

"Is it true?" Pekis' voice was soft and gentle.

"What?"

"What happened on the moon. Is it true?"

The excitement Pekis' Ghost felt begun to fade. He rested on the mattress next to Pekis. "Yeah, it really happened. And it was my fault. If I have never suggested we go into those tunnels she could have lived long enough to find her Guardian."

Pekis felt his heart skip a beat. He never thought his Ghost could have gone through something like that. "That-That feeling you get when someone you care about is killed because of something you did. That sticks with you, doesn't it?"

"It did for me. Seeing her Light being devoured...horrible."

Hearing of that brought up another unpleasant memory. Memories flashed before his eyes again. Memories he hadn't thought about for years. "What the Hive do to people. They're monsters inside, and out. Nothing can change that."

The way Pekis spoke of the Hive, It sounded like he had personal experience. "You've had dealings with them before?"

Pekis turned his back to him. "Yes. Before I..." He didn't finish.

The Ghost floated up over to the other side. "Before you died?" Pekis didn't say anything. "You want to talk about it?" The Hunter looked away. "You can talk to me."

"Not yet. That time was different." Pekis lifted himself up, placing his feet on while sitting.

"You're finally up! I was afraid it would take another few weeks."

Pekis slouched resting two of his arms on his legs. He still wasn't his old self, and probably wouldn't be for a long time. His recovered memories were still fresh in his mind. He had gotten so close, and now it was gone and has been for years. 'Vithras, Aepvis.' Thinking of them reminded him of the bodies that were near him at his resurrection. "Ghost."

"What?"

"Those dead Eliksni that there when we met. Cou-Could you do for them what you did for me? Can you bring them back?" Pekis had a flicker of hope on his face. Maybe there was still hope?

That was quite a surprise question. How often is a Ghost asked something like that from a Guardian? "Pekis, I-I...Can't.I was able to bring you back because the Traveler granted you the Light. The other two didn't have it so I can't."

Pekis was devastated. He buried his face in his hands, tears threatening to escape again. There was no hope. "Then why was I chosen?"

His Ghost didn't know what to say. It was clear that they were important to him. He didn't want to cause him any more suffering. "I don't know why? No Ghost is involved in who receives the Light. We only help bring it out of the chosen."

His answer certainly didn't help. Pekis still didn't have answers, and he could bring back his loved ones. Just thinking about them always brought him back to that day the three of them were brought before...him. "Peldaks." his voice was dark, and laced with a growl.

"Who?" Pekis' Ghost never heard that name before.

The more he thought about it the more his sadness was replaced by anger. Thinking about it, pieces started to fit together. The House of Kings incursion on Venus weeks ago. "He knows I live."

"Who knows?" The Ghost was not sure if he was going to like where this was going.

Pekis stood up. unholstering his Shock pistols, he began to take them apart to inspect them. "The only one I know is scared enough to risk a war with the House of Winter just to kill me. Peldaks, the Kell of Kings."

"The Kell of-The Kell of Kings!?" Pekis' Ghost was dumbfounded. "You know who that is!? There's not a single person in the City who has information on the Kell of the House of Kings, nor has there ever been one! The House of Kings have always been masters of hiding intel. You need to speak to the Vanguard. Whatever you know, they need to."

"NO! I won't have someone else taking my retribution from me." Finished inspecting, he put his pistols back in their holsters. "Start the ship. We're going out for that trip you suggested."

Back in the Warlock Libraries, Kelly spent the last half hour going over her last conversation with Bitsine. How could she have known? Pekis and Kelly had been so careful. When did she figure that out? She was so distracted by her thoughts, she didn't notice someone behind her until they put a hand on her shoulder. "Ahh!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm sorry about that." Cayde-6 said apologetically, "I'm not used to hanging around the libraries that much so all the technobabble tends to make me edgy."

Kelly turned around to see the Hunter Vanguard. "Cayde-6? What are you doing here?"

"First of all, you can just call me Cayde. Even though the six totally goes with my name it doesn't do well for regular conversation."

"...Okay. Cayde, Can I help you?"

"I hoping you can." Cayde sat down on the desk next to her, crossing his legs, and interlocking his fingers. "Now as you know you, and your team are the big heroes of the week. You know, evil heart dead, Light back to the Traveler, etc. Nice work. Wish I could have seen it. And you know your Hunter, Pekis. First Fallen Guardian, doesn't try to kill us when he is in the same room, 7 feet tall I think. how tall would you say he is? seven, seven, and a half?"

"seven more or less, Cayde."

"Alrighty then, and the last time you spoke with the Vanguard you mention him getting some memories back."

"Yes, I remember. Can you get to the point?"

"Okay then. The reason I'm here not just to get away from paperwork. Ikora and Zavala have been talking about him. Potential security risk could have intel on the Fallen Houses, saying things like bringing him in for interrogation."

"Interrogation!? That crazy! He helped save the Traveler! That's how they want to thank him!? Treating him like a criminal!?"

"Hey, hey. calm down. I'm not on their side." Cayde noticed some Warlocks staring. "Vanguard business. go do whatever it is you do. Now I was hoping you could tell me that he is feeling better now, and he is willing to tell us whatever he knows so we can avoid all that. I personally think he should tell us whenever he's ready. Not try to strong-arm it out of him. How often are we going to have a Fallen on our side?"

"Oh, they're going to threaten him!?" Kelly stood right up. "I'll go over there, and show them what I think of-"

"Whoa! Please don't." Cayde stood in front of her trying to calm her down. "I'm saying they're going to do that. It's just being talked about."

Before Kelly could say anything her Ghost popped out. "Pekis' Ghost just sent a message. He's up, and just left our room a minute ago."

"Yes!" Cayde said. "Thank you! I thought things were going to go horribly wrong."

"He up." Kelly felt relieved. It had been a week, and now he was finally getting better. 'Thank the Traveler.'

"Now, Ghost, can you please tell us where he's going."

"The Courtyard. He's trying to leave."

"What?" Kelly was confused. Where could he possibly be going? "Could he be..."

"Come on," Cayde told her, "Maybe we can still catch him."

In the Courtyard, Pekis stood at his usual spot by the railing. All four hands holding the metal bars, he stared out at the City with vengeance in his eyes. "Ghost, is the ship ready?"

"It's leaving the hanger now. I still think we should talk to the Vanguard. Whatever you're planning could probably use the help."

"I'll take it under advisement, but we're leaving." Pekis mind had only one person on it. "I'm coming for you old man."

"Pekis!" Pekis turned around to see Kelly and Cayde some yards away. At the same time, his ship was taking flight. "Where are you going? The Vanguard need to talk to you."

Seeing Kelly brought up some conflicting feelings. But now wasn't the time. "I'm sorry. I'll be back." Pekis did a back-flip over the railing just as his ship flew past, it's transmat system picking him up along the way. He was gone, inside the ship taking him out of the City's perimeter.

"Pekis!" Kelly ran to the edge with Cayde behind her. They made it just in time to see Pekis fly past the city walls.

"Oh, no," Cayd said. He did not look forward to explaining this to the rest of the Vanguard. "Can you come with me to see the others? I think Zavala is going to have an aneurysm."


	29. Chapter 29

**A few hours later, Sunset**

 **Earth, Last City, Tower**

To say that Zavala was in a bad mood was putting it mildly. After Pekis' leave-taking, Cayde spent some time trying to think of a way to explain it to his counterparts, with Kelly's help. Unfortunately, when it comes to anything to do with that Hunter, word tends to travel fast. Before they could think of anything, Cayde got a call from Ikora saying that they need to discuss the situation. "Come on, He didn't try to kill anyone. How bad could he be?"

"Cayde this is serious." Zavala was not in the mood for Cayde's usual antics. "We have a potential breach of security that needs to be addressed."

Ikora was in agreement. "Indeed. The Fact of the matter is, Pekis has been inside the tower, and the City itself. He's seen our infrastructure, knows our chain of command, and whatever else he has learned. Now he is gone. We don't know where he's going, or what his plan is."

"Which makes finding him our top priority." Zavala turned to his Ghost, who was by his side as always. "Stone, do you have a lead on Pekis' ship?"

Cayde made a small chuckle. "Stone." He said to himself. Zavala was never one to be one the creative side of things.

"I'm afraid not. According to my readings, his ship's tracker was disabled mid-flight. He doesn't want anyone following him."

That bit of news did not help. Zavala placed both hands down on the Vanguard table and sighed. He knew the risks of allowing Pekis into the City but felt they were calculated ones. Pekis was an Eliksni reforged in the Traveler's Light. The potential benefits of such an occurrence could have very well been worth it, but now he may have just put the City's security in jeopardy.

Standing aside, Kelly watched as the Vanguard discussed what to do about Pekis. Hearing them talk about him like some kind of suspect made her want to give them her thoughts about it in a less than friendly manner. But she didn't. As much as she wanted, it would help anything. And in the back of her mind, she couldn't blame them. Pekis seemed so determined for some reason. The fire in his eyes burned brightly like before, but it was different. It looked so...angry. Hateful. 'Could he be...'

"Ahem," Cayde spoke loudly enough to get Zavala out of his moody state. "If your not to busy sulking, can I tell you my Idea."

"Cayde, If you have a suggestion, then we're listening," Ikora said. As infuriating as Cayde could be at times, she found that he definitely could be of help when needed.

"Great! Now Pekis is gone. A lot of intel gone, possible threat, Etc, Etc." Cayde held out one finger, "BUT, he didn't turn off his ship's tracker when he was at the Tower. He did it in..." He pointed at Zavala's Ghost, gesturing him to finish the sentence.

"Mid-flight." Stone wished he'd just get to the point.

"Exactly!"

"Cayde," Zavala interrupted, "Could you please just tell us where you're going with this."

"Let me finish. Now since he didn't do it at the tower, then he spent some time flying with it on, so that means..." He pointed to Ikora knowing someone as smart as her knew what he was getting at.

"We can check the records for the last direction his ship was heading in the Tower database. Sira..."

"I'm on it." Ikora's Ghost immediately began pillaging the database for records on Pekis' ship. In a few seconds, she got them. "From what I can tell his tracker was disabled over the Russian state, Vologda, just as he was about to descend."

"Vologda?" Cayde asked, "North-east. Guess he likes it cold."

"We cannot ignore this." Zavala's confidence was restored. "We must find out where he is, and what he's up to. And if he is against us then that is his choice."

After that, Kelly had to work extra hard not to walk over, and slap the shit out of him. After all Pekis had done, that's what he had to say.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Easy there shoot first, asked questions later." Cayde walked a few feet closer to his Titan counterpart. "Did you forget the part where I said, "He didn't try to kill anyone." Because it sounds like you did."

"We must face it, Cayde. Pekis is a Fallen. He has his memories back so old grudges, and allegiances might have resurfaced. It would not be the first time a Guardian fell into the Darkness, as you know."

"Now wait just a minute!" Kelly was holding herself back for a while, but that was the last straw. Now Zavala had a fully outraged Kelly on his hands. "Who the hell do you think you are!? What the fuck gives you the right to start comparing, Pekis, to some psycho maniac you son of a bitch!?"

This caught the Vanguard completely by surprise. Cayde stepped away from Zavala, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Zavala on the other hand, like a true Titan, stood his ground. "You are completely out of line!"

That did not get him very far. "The hell I am! Pekis put his life on the line for the city, and now you're trying to kick him to the wolves! That's how you repay someone!? By throwing a bucket of accusations without any proof!? With all respect, Fuck you!" With that, Kelly stormed out of the room, Tower workers staying out of the steaming Warlock way.

Zavala wasn't about to let that go just yet. "Stop right there, Kelly! You have no right to speak to the Vanguard in such a manner!"

Kelly turned right back around. Walking past Ikora, who attempted to stop her to no avail, she made her way to Zavala's side of the table. Before he had a chance to reprimand her for her outburst, he met the back side of Kelly's hand. The smack rang throughout the room. Everyone was dead silent. "I wasn't talking to the Vanguard, just you." Giving him one last look, Kelly took her leave, passing Lord Shaxx who had seen the whole event, and never thought he'd see the day.

Cayde was speechless. Did Zavala really just get smacked? On the outside he was quiet, but on the inside, he was laughing his ass off. There was no way he was going to let this go. He leaned over to his Ghost, "Maya, please tell me you recorded that?"

"You got it," she said. "Should I post it?"

"No, I want to save it for when Saladin gets here." Cayde could see it now. Saladin would watch the video, walk up to Zavala, and go, "You are a disgrace to the Vanguard." Then Zavala would go, "Easy for you to say. You have not felt her wrath before." As Cayde thought about the potentially funny dialogue between the two, another thought popped into his head. It was common knowledge that Saladin spent most of his time away from the city. Not communicating with anyone outside of emergencies and the Iron Banner. So maybe... Cayde walked over to Ikora. "Ikora, do you know if anyone told, Salidin, about, Pekis, Yet?"

Ikora knew Cayde for many years. So she knew where this was going. "I don't believe so, Cayde."

That was all he needed to hear. "Dibs on breaking it to him!" He couldn't wait.

Kelly marched out to the courtyard, the Vanguard's talk still fresh in her mind. Her anger had lessened but still burned. She still couldn't believe it. 'Zavala, actually said that about, Pekis? That ungrateful...' Kelly sighed, forcing herself to calm down. Could she really blame him? Zavala was a member of the Vanguard. It was his job to put the safety of the City first. Even she had doubts. When Pekis left, he barely said anything. With no explanation, what conclusion could they come to? But he had told her that he would return.

As Kelly made her way back to the barracks, she noticed other Guardians giving her looks. Passing by, she heard them whispering to each other.

"Did you hear? That Fallen has finally gone rogue." A Warlock said to a Hunter.

"No way. He probably just went out do some killing."

"Yeah, killing us." A Titan responded.

"See that's her. That Warlock who likes bugs."

"I heard that the Fallen in the reef worship him. Just what we need, another Kell."

Kelly found it becoming harder to control herself. As popular as Pekis had become, there would always be those kinds of people. People that wouldn't give him a chance. Kelly thought about what to do. There had to be an explanation. A reason Pekis left on his own. If he could be given a chance to explain, then maybe they could put an end to the suspicions. Maybe. She did have a copy of Pekis' ship records thanks to her Ghost. Knowing the general area was heading to was a start, but he was a Hunter, and he didn't want to be found. And she herself was not the best a tracking. Not to mention the confusion she could tell he felt about her the last time they saw each other. Looking for him herself might not be the best idea.

She continued to think of what to do when she remembered a conversation she had weeks ago. She snapped her fingers, "Of course! Ghost, open a channel with Ellie."

"You got it."

Kelly stopped where she was, tapping her foot impatiently. When someone picked up the phone the first words were, "Kelly?"

"Yes, Ellie, thank you for answering. Listen, there might not be much time, so I'll make it quick. Didn't you tell me before that tracking was one of, Crux's, specialties?"

Ellie was certainly caught off guard. She had heard of Pekis' departure as well and thought this would be about him. "Um, yes, but why are you-"

"I can explain later, but could you tell, Crux, to meet me? I need him to-" The sound of someone shouting from afar cut her off.

"Hey, is it true that your four-eyed freak friend left? About time, before he started laying eggs everywhere."

Kelly took a long deep breath. Hearing the whole thing, Ellie didn't say anything but could feel the anger coming through the call. After a minute, Kelly finally said something. "I going to have to call you back."

 **Earth, Russia, Vologda**

"I still think we should tell the Vanguard about this."

Pekis smashed his fist through the window of an abandoned car. "I said no, and I mean NO!" Pekis didn't know how many times his Ghost suggested it, but it was enough to piss him off.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop."

The Hunter snorted as he kicked his way through the foot, and a half deep snow. The entire area was blanketed with it, and more kept falling down with purpose. Pekis continued his way through the town. Half the buildings were in ruins, and the other half was either run down or falling apart. Cars littered the roads, to old to be of use to anyone. Some were turned over on their sides, or upside down.

The cold didn't bother him much. His armor kept most of his body heat contained. Plus his rage kept the fire inside him burning hot. The only thing he heard beside the howling wind was his breathing as his face masked filtered it into the open air under the night sky. His cloak's end dragged along the disturbed snow behind him, occasionally fluttering in the air when it received a good gust. Had it not been for the built-in cloaking in his armor, his black armor would have stuck out.

Pekis ship dropped him off a few miles away from the town. He didn't want to alert early detection systems to his coming, so he chose to go in on foot. It was good he was familiar with the area. There were a lot of traps hidden around. Web mines, Proximity-based Shock Grenades, even old fashion trip-wire traps that were learned from information gathered on Humans. Moving in, Pekis knew a thing, or two about disarming, and collected some for the future.

Getting closer to his goal, he couldn't see the skeletons he passed buried under the snow. "should be soon now."

"What?" His Ghost asked, still not fully understanding what he was here for.

"That." Pekis got close enough to the town end to see the dirt road leading up to the nearby mountains to the north. Looking up, the three mountain peaks were just as he remembered. Cocking his newly acquired Stranger's Rifle, he said, "Won't be long now."

Starting his journey up, he decided not to take the road directly in. No doubt there would be spotters and traps along the road. And he couldn't let them know he was coming. Going through the woods, his pace slowed down, but snipers would have a hard time. The weather was not kind to the foliage. most, if not all, of the surrounding trees, had lost their leaves and were covered in a layer of frost. Eventually, he was stopped by a wall of mountain rock, but that didn't last. Pekis was an Eliksni, climbing was no problem for him. He climbed with a vengeance fulling him. Sometimes a rock he grabbed onto would detach, but he passed them off as nothing.

With spider-like movement, and agility, he reached the ledge he was looking for. Stopping for a moment, he peeked out his head, his four eyes looking around for returning patrols. "No one." Pekis loosened his face mask for a moment to sniff the air. Nothing, which was a bit odd to him. Normally there would be someone's faint scent. Ignoring it he climbed all the way up, feet leaving impressions in the snow as he moved up, finding what he had been looking for. The mountainside revealed a large cave entrance large enough to march a Fallen Walker in.

"A cave?" Pekis Ghost said confused. Why would the fallen be interested in a cave?

"More than that." Pekis went in, the from outside creating an unnerving howling sound.

"I sure hope so. I don't like going into dark caves alone since..."

"You have me." Pekis activated his helmet's night vision. The light fixtures that were built into the mountain long ago were never fixed so Kings have to use their own lights when using this entrance. making a turn, Pekis expected a lavender light to illuminate the rest of the way but... "What?"

"What is it?"

"No energy barrier. There's supposed to be one. It standard protocol." Something was not right. Pekis had his Ghost activate his flashlight. The cave lit up, there was no sign of barrier technology except for left behind bits and pieces from replaced parts. "What is this?" Pekis kept his Stranger's Rifle ready for a trap, it's barrel end glowing with bizarre energy. Did they find out he was coming and were trying to lure him into their claws?

Traveling deeper, Pekis examined his surrounding with a fine tooth comb until he reached his target. A large reinforced metal door embedded into the rock with a very familiar Fallen symbol. "The House of Kings' insignia. Pekis where exactly did you bring us?"

"The console." Pekis tapped his fingers on a computer built next to the vault door. It was still receiving power much to his relief. The screen came to life, the data, and command options all in Fallen language. Accessing the door controls, the screen flashed red followed by a growl. "Of course the codes would have changed by now. Ghost."

Pekis took a step back, give his Ghost some space to work. "Wow. An old Russian military complex built into the Earth." While working on the door, the Ghost gathered every bit of data he could find. Unfortunately, most of the data seemed to have been erased. Quite recently. But not all of it. "This place was built after the Traveler's arrival. The tech that must have been poured into it."

"Some things we never thought possible."

"So what was this place used for? An outpost?" Most of the map data was corrupted so he couldn't get a full picture.

"More." The sound of metal scraping against metal made Pekis turn off the audio receptors in his helmet, but could still hear the sound through it. He always hated that sound. The door began opening. Pekis readied an incendiary grenade for the guards posted on the other side. "My retribution begins now." The door opened faster, Pekis readied to throw. Pekis tossed it in, a blast of solar light signaled his assault to begin. With a mighty howl, the Hunter rushed in, wanting the entire House to be aware of his return. "HOUSE KINGS! PEEKIS, HAS RETURNED!" Through the smoke, his weapon was ready for the first challenger.

Blood pumping, he scanned his surroundings, expecting to see Eliksni of all kinds roaring in challenge, but... "What?" No one was there. An entrance that was supposed to be tightly guarded was actually empty. "What is this?"

"So who exactly is supposed to be meeting us?"

"The entire House of Kings." Pekis lowered his guard. From what he could tell the lights must have been running on reserve power. "No." Pekis moved on with no resistance. His heartbeat escalated the further he went. The hallways that he remembered bustling with thousands of Eliksni, dedicated to reclaiming the Great Machine, were now empty. The only indication of their presences was the forgotten yellow banners of their House discarded on the floors, or still hung on the walls. "Where are they!?" On the way, he opened up many doors leading to what should be barracks, comm centers, and repair depots, just to find everything that had some value gone. Computers, and equipment that couldn't be brung stripped for parts. "WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"I don't think anyone's home."

"It can't be!" Pekis started running, eventually reaching an elevator connecting to the rest of the base. It was still powered. "Damn! The Control panel has been stripped."

"Let me take a look." Pekis Ghost materialized, firing a blue light into the wiring. "Ok, I got a handle on the controls. Wow, thirty levels deep."

"Call the elevator." The sounds of moving gears and cables followed soon after. The sounds stopped, and the door opened wide. Stepping inside, he told his Ghost. "Level 25." The elevator started moving. On the way down, the air was tense. Pekis breathing was uneven. The storm within him grew stronger with every passing second. "It can't be for nothing. I will avenge them."

"Who?"

The elevator stopped, and the door opened. "My friends." stepping out, Pekis made his destination to a very important part of the base. Very important to the House. Along the way, the scene was just like the top floor. Empty halls, and stripped tech. It continued until he reached what he was looking for. A large doorway big enough for a Kell, or Archon to fit through. He hit the door controls, and with a hiss, the doors opened up for him. On the other side, the room was far larger than any of the ones they passed. There was a sizeable open space in the center, scraps of metal, and broken discarded tools were scattered about. Pekis walked around. This place was once filled with the sounds of machinery, and servitors working day, and night to help meet the ether demands of the Hundreds of Thousands of Eliksni stationed on Earth, and beyond. Now, there was nothing. "No."

He came upon an old metal cylinder container. On the side was a control panel to regulate the amount of ether that would be released upon activation. "Let me take a look." Pekis Ghost appeared in front of the panel and began working his magic on it. "Hmm, according to the log files, this container was supposed to be refilled two weeks ago. I am detecting some traces of ether though. Was this place used for storage?"

"Production." Pekis back away and his Ghost followed. He stood in the center of the former ether production facility. Taking his helmet, and mask off, he was hoping the emptiness was part of some deception for a trap, or at the very least his mind playing a trick. But when nothing changed in the next few minutes, he had to come to a startling revelation. "Pivraks and Fakiks are gone." He said in disbelief.

Still learning as they go, the Ghost couldn't help, but ask, "Who are they?"

Pekis' breathing intensified. That contain was suppose to be refilled recently. They couldn't have all left! He took off running. "He has to still be here!"

"Hey, wait for me!" His Ghost flew as fast as he could to catch up.

As Pekis traveled down the corridors, the images of what happened that day played in front of his eyes once more.

 **50 Years Ago, The Year 3664**

 **House of Kings Lair, Earth, Russia, Vologda**

"AEPVIS!" Vithras' voiced echoed as Aepvis' blood spilled to the floor. His head hit the ground with a good thump as the light faded from his eyes.

Peekis' hands were trembling. To him, it was like the gunshot kept happening over, and over again in his ears. His eyes were still shut, too scared to see what he had done. It wasn't until his hearing cleared that the sounds of Vithras' voice snapped him out of it. Slowly, one by one, the lights of his eyes were exposed to the horrendous act he just committed. His heart sank. "What have I..." He dropped to his knees, the pistol sliding out of his fingers

Prevkis was in complete shock. What he had just done. What he was forced to do. It was madness."How could..."

"HA!" Peldaks' voice boom in triumph. The rest of the House joined. The sounds of Eliksni laughter and cheers filled the air. Leaving Peekis, Vithras, Prevkis, and Pivraks as the only quiet ones.

Vithras, not yet recovered from seeing one of her oldest friends die, rubbed her stomach with two hands. She was hoping for a calming effect, but she knew their ordeal was far from over. In truth, she never expected Peldaks to make good on the bargain. But she had to hope regardless. Not for her sake, but the sake of her's, and Peekis' unborn child.

Pivraks stood in the same spot he was the whole time. To him, what was happening was necessary for the House. After their defeat at Twightlight Gap years ago, The Houses split apart once more, and House Kings' manpower and resources had been thinned. They couldn't afford to be dealing with an uprising while they were trying to bring their numbers back up. And If the City were to take advantage of the resulting chaos, it could be the end for them. "What a fool. Putting the House in jeopardy for a dream." Pivraks scoffed thinking of Peekis ideals. "Peace? Never."

Hearing that made Prevkis question her place in the House. 'Never? Why?' Prevkis felt it in her best interest to distance herself from her father. If he was capable of allowing this to happen, then what else was he capable of? What else had he already done?

"Ha-ha, excellent, Peekis!" Peldaks addressed him, the rest of the room falling silent again. "Perhaps you are worthy of redemption." Peldaks holstered his Shrapnel Launcher, looking down at the female scribe at his feet. Vithras felt a small sliver of hope. Hope that was crushed by the hand that wrapped around her throat. "But neither of you will live to see that day."

"What!?" Did Peekis really hear that? He just did what Peldaks wanted!?

Peldaks lifted Vithras up, walking in front of his throne, he dropped her. "Restraints." On cue, two Vandals approached Vithras on either side holding arm, and leg binders to keep her from moving. She struggled to keep them off her, but she was overpowered.

"No! Please! I did what you asked! Leave her alone!" Peekis tried to stop them, but two captains rushed him, pinning him to the floor. Peekis couldn't do anything. Forced to watch as his mate was manhandled. "Please! Vithras is-" One of the captains slammed his face into the floor to shut him up.

While this was happening, Peldaks began taking his Shrapnel launcher apart. "I am fully aware of her condition." Flipping a switch to turn the heater off, he pulled off the barrel exposing what he was looking for. "And I will not allow another traitor to be born!" A small canister of napalm responsible for giving the medal rounds their burning capabilities was revealed.

Did Prevkis hear that right? Was Vithras actually caring a child within her? They never told her.

Peldaks yanked out the canister, dropping the now useless gun on the floor. Holding it over Vithras, he crushed it in his hand, releasing the liquid inside.

As Vithras struggled to escape her bindings she felt a sticking substance spilling onto her. Looking up, she realized what it was. "No, please! You Can't!"

"I AM KELL!" Tossing the canister aside, Peldaks grabbed a cloth to wipe his hand. He then pulled out the shock sword he carried on his back, electricity dancing along the blade.

"NO!" Peekis was really struggling now but to no avail. "I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU! Another head slam shut him up. This couldn't be happening.

"YOU COULD NEVER KILL ME!"

Realizing there was no escape, Vithras locked eyes with Peekis one last time. She didn't say anything. The years she spent with him meant everything to her. But the future she wanted with him wasn't going to happen. Scared, she shut her eyes, taking a deep breath, then opening them to say her last words to him. "I love you."

Peldaks pocked her with the sword, the electricity being just what the napalm needed for ignition.

"VITHRAS!"

Minutes seemed like days to Peekis. Vithras howled as the flames consumed her, devoured her being. The smell of burning flesh was strong. So strong that Prevkis rushed out the throne room.

Pivraks' heart sank seeing her flee. As the Archon Priest, it was his duty to help weed out traitors in the house, and deal with them as necessary. But, right now, those obligations were conflicting with his feelings as a father. Prevkis was always a gentle, and kind-hearted spirit since she was a child. But in the House, a soul like that wouldn't usually last. It was only, because she was his daughter that she survived this long. But he could be around forever so she had to change for a world without him.

The first thing she did was let her earlier meal out onto the floor. The stench she smelled followed her, making her vomiting last longer. When her stomach was finally cleared, she could barely stand. Her body was trembling. She could barely form any coherent thoughts, the recent events still on rewind in her head.

"Prevkis." Pivraks followed her, allowing Peldaks to finish the ordeal himself. The substance on the floor was no surprise for him. What she just witnessed was a lot to take in for someone like her. She wasn't a warrior like most Eliksni. He got on one knee, but she didn't turn around. She didn't need to. "I know that they were close to you, but you must understand why this must be. They were putting our people in danger."

"But why? Why is this the only way? Why must they be brutalized for wanting peace?"

Pivraks hesitated. Under Peldaks' rule, talk like that was dangerous. "Because there can't be peace. Our people came here to seek salvation from the Great Machine, but since we came here the Humans have done everything they can to keep us from it. They destroy our servitors, massacre our people, leave Houses in ruins. Even your mother is dead at their hands. War is the only way to reclaim our right."

Prevkis emotions were building up. The mention of her mother brought back very old feelings. She was so little when she died. All she could remember of her was her love. "But would she want this? Is this what she'd want for Peekis and Vithras?"

Pivraks closed his eyes. She truly did take after Vistres. "I can't speak for her. But while we are here, we must be able to put aside our feelings for the sake of the House."

'For the House?' Prevkis' mind was lost to thought. What kind of House allowed this? Prevkis steadied herself, stepping around the puddle she made. "I-I need to be alone."

"Fine. If you need to talk, you can come to me." Pivraks stood back up, watching his vandal sized daughter walk away with her head down. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

What Pivraks didn't know was that Prevkis had no intention to speak to him again. After all this, she could stay any longer, no matter how much it hurt either of them. "I must leave."

Not soon enough, the flames died down, leaving behind a smoking burnt carcass that wasn't recognizable to anyone. Vithras' life, as well as the one she carried, was snuffed out. The smell she created drowned the senses of everyone not wearing a face mask. Any strength Peekis had was gone. He was dead weight. No longer struggling, the captains let him go, leaving him lying on the floor. He didn't bother to move, not even to look away from burnt remains of what was his mate.

It was all gone. Everything he had to live for. Gone. His friends, family, work, all in ruins.

Peldaks circled around the broken man. 'This is the one who thought he could take my place? Pathetic.' Pride surge in him. Once again he had proven his superiority to the House as Kell. All that was left to do, He picked Peekis up by his neck, was to end it.

Peekis was now facing to face with Peldaks. All he did was stare blankly. Peldaks readied his sword. "Don't worry. you'll be seeing her soon." With a quick jab, the end of the blade was sticking out Peekis back.

With that pain, awareness slowly came back to him. Blue blood leaked out his body, dripping off the metal that tasted it. With every breath he took, blood was coughed out, running down his mandibles. Peekis managed grip Peldaks' finger, digging his claws into his skin. His new focus is the one grabbing him by the throat. "P-Pel-daks!" he managed to gurgle past the streams of blood coming from his mouth. "I-I w-w-will..." That was enough to disturb the hell out of everyone.

Peldaks pulled his sword out, the blade's edge cutting the hole wider to the point where you could look right through it.

"I W-WILL..." Peekis grip slackened, a pool of Eliksni blood forming from the waterfall coming from him. "hav..." He couldn't say anymore. His limbs went limp, the lights of his eyes turning dark. With what he had left, Peldaks received a glare. The type Eliksni gave each other when they promised they would kill them. Then blackness.

Peldaks let go, Peekis' body dropped like a doll, marking the end of it.

Or so they thought.

 **Present day**

 **Former House of Kings Lair, Earth, Russia, Vologda**

'I will have my revenge!' was all Pekis could think of on the short ride down. Pekis didn't wait for the elevator door to open. Activating his arc swords he slashed straight through the door, bursting out with one destination in mind, his bladedancer giving him the speed of a sparrow with a shield-like field of arc energy to boot.

"Overkill maybe?" Pekis' Ghost said, the only one thinking a super was just wasted on a door.

Pekis wasn't paying attention. The very end of the base his only concern. Seeing the doorway at the end, Pekis' arc power intensified with his wrath.

In the old throne room, all was dark and quiet. Nothing had been disturb after it was left vacant. until now. The door leading in was blasted open, arcs of electricity followed the broken pieces scattering around the room. "PELDAKS, I'VE COME FOR YOU!" Pekis now stood in the center of the throne room, on the exact spot where he died at Peldaks' hand. His power lit up the entire room in a white-blue light. The lightning fluctuated wildly around him, symboling the storm that had been building up inside him, lashing out at everything like it to wanted revenge. "SHOW YOURSELF NOW!"

Pekis turned in all directions in his search. Every breath let out a growl of bloodlust. Every flail of his arms sent out a current of lightning scorching everything in its direction. "PELDAKS, I COMMAND YOU TO FACE ME! I WILL SEE YOU DEAD!" His power grew wilder, more uncontrollably.

His Ghost feared for his Guardian's soul. His rage was feeding his power, making it more powerful, but also increasing its instability. If his readings were right, if it didn't stop, his Light would burn out, likely destroying him in a rage-filled surge in the process. "PEKIS, YOU HAVE TO STOP! THERE'S NO ONE HERE!"

"NOOOO!" The storm grew even worse, electrifying everything around him. "PELDAKS, TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! I WILL TAKE EVERYTHING FROM HIM!"

"PLEASE! IF YOU DON'T STOP, YOUR LIGHT WILL BURN OUT! YOU'LL DIE!" The Ghost was doing everything he could to keep it from getting to the point of no return, but unless he could convince him it will be the end for both of them.

"I DON'T CARE! I HAVE NOTHING TO LIVE FOR!" The mountain itself was starting to tremble. The waves of uncontrollable power rocked the bedrock. Destabilizing it.

"YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP! I DIDN't SEARCH FOR YOU SO IT COULD END THIS WAY!"

"I SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BROUGHT BACK! WHAT DO I HAVE LEFT!? WHHHAAAAT!?" The last word was said in a roar that could be heard for miles.

It was now or never. The last chance. "WHAT ABOUT, KELLY!? WHAT ABOUT YOUR PROMISE TO HER!? YOU SWORE TO RETURN!? WHAT ABOUT, BITSINE!? CRUX, AVEZ, ELLIE, THE CITY, THE TRAVELER, EVERYONE!? YOU CANT JUST LEAVE THEM!"

Just as the storm was reaching its apex, something sparked inside him (Or rather something was convinced to stop sparking). Pekis thought back to everything. From his death to this moment right now. He had been through so much, lost so much, but gained almost as much back. Could he really end it now? How much was revenge worth to him?

If Pekis' Ghost had a living body, he would have shat himself ten times over by now. The mountain was becoming more unstable with each second with part of the ceiling falling down. Any working electronics left in the base was burnt out beyond repair. 'At least we stopped the heart.' was what the Ghost thought would be his last thought.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" With yet another roar to rock the heavens and the earth, Pekis raised all four arms, pointing the swords in his upper hands downward, slamming them all into the ground. The impact sent out a shockwave of Arc-Light, the rest funneling into the mountain rock.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"I CHOSE TO LIVE!" Pekis focus all his strength to channel his power into the ground to prevent an overload. Slowly, but surely the violent storm that his wrath created was dying. The bolts of electricity were stopping as well as the trembling mountain. The whole time the anguish in him was being let out. Not through his Light, but his cries of pain. "VITHRAS, AAAAHHH!"

It was only a matter of time before the aura around him dissipate leaving his arc swords to fade last. His hands empty, Pekis fell to his knees, just as he had long ago, too tired to stand any longer. "Aepvis, Vithras, I chose to live. For you. For Everyone." Exhausted, Pekis fell forward, then sleep began to take him. "for, Kelly..." was the last thing he said before slumbering.

His Ghost appeared over him, looking down at his amazing Guardian. "Who would have thought you'd be capable of all that." There was never any indication his light could be so strong. But pondering that would have to come later. After finding a cushy spot in his hair again, the Ghost began to power down, decided that now was a good as any to sleep.

Indeed, he chose to live for tomorrow.

 **Several Hours Later, Midnight**

 **Earth, Russia, Vologda**

"Yup, he definitely came through here." Crux was crouching down in the of the ruined town. The snow hadn't stopped in the last few hours. His Ghost illuminated the surrounding area as Crux scanned the trail of disturbed snow. The tracks that Pekis left behind had been filled up, but evidence of his presence was still there. "So he hits the ground a few miles out of town, runs into a few traps, and comes through here. He's disturbed, and a Fallen, so where would he go from here?" Crux stood up, his eyes following the direction the trail was going. "Soul, you got anything?"

Crux's Ghost sent out a shortwave pulse. "Hmm, It's faint, but I'm am picking up small traces of ether. Probable residue from his breathing. He couldn't have been here too long ago." She said.

Crux looked around, his red optics examining the path ahead as the wind tried to blow his Neuroghast cloak away. He noticed a car with a broken car window, most of the glass shards laying on the car seat indicating that it was broken from the outside. On the glass, a blue coagulated matter was on one of the broken edges. "Blood. He got mad for some reason, and smashed his hand through, and cut himself." Crux backed away. "We're pretty much the only source of light here, and we're not getting shot at so it must be safe. So we follow the tracks."

"Obviously," Soul said, with a hint of sarcasm. "It might be better to switch to night vision for now unless you do want to get shot."

Crux switched his helmet to night vision. "You know I think we can do without that tone for now. We need to find, Pekis, before the trail goes cold, no pun intended."

"No pun? You?" Soul gasped. "That's a first."

"I'll come up with something later. Right now I want to get this done before Kelly gets more upset. Can you believe what she did to that guy's nuts?" Crux mentioned a very scary, and recent incident at the Tower.

"I think she's the first Warlock to do something like that. Good thing he's a Guardian, or else he'd be sterile." Soul disappeared, leaving Crux the only one in the open.

For the next few minutes, The Hunter retraced his college's footsteps. Holding his Matador 64 Shotgun. Between the darkness, and the snow, long range wasn't going to cut it. Eventually, he came upon the same trail leading to the mountains Pekis came to. Crux looked up seeing the mountain peaks. "Soul, do we have any records of anything important around here."

"No. If there is then it's a complete mystery." Soul kept her scanners active, keeping an eye out for an ambush when she pickup up something strange. "Odd, I'm picking up residual traces of Light energy.

"So he got into a fight." Searching for any sign of Pekis, Crux saw that the trail he was following a lead into the nearby woods instead of the main road up the mountain. "He didn't take the direct path." He checked around again. "I don't see any signs of a fight."

"That's why it's odd. Normally, it takes a guardian to activate their powers to leave traces like this behind, but it doesn't look like it happened here."

Crux was getting really confused at this point. "So if it wasn't here, and there was no fight then why is their Light energy here."

"I have a theory, but now's not the time."

"Good point." Moving on, Crux decided to follow the trail into the woods. Passing through, he soon came face to face with the steep mountainside. "It stops here." The Hunter look up. "Crazy bastard actually climbed the rest of the way."

"Well, there's no way you can make that climb."

"No need to remind me." Crux backtracked to the road and decided to take the main road. He saw that it had to extend at least a mile high. "Soul, my sparrow."

"Not a good idea. I'm detecting explosives ahead."

"Kelly, you're going to owe me big."

While Crux started his trek up the mountain, he was being watched. Cloaked, and squatting ontop a nearby building, a hooded figure spying from the veil of snow, and dark. behind him, a dozen, or so of his top underlings all proudly wearing House King capes fluttering in the wind. The figure in question, dug the multiple talons installed in his prosthetic legs into the roof surface keeping himself in place. The right side of his face had been embedded with metal plating connected to his ether mask, and two eyes replace with cybernetics that scanned with thermal vision. "All by yourself?" He said, his Fallen voice laced with electronic elements. A testament to the advance cyber augmentations of the House of Kings he had received for his many accomplishments.

"Kavgis," said a captain watching through her binoculars. "Shall we dispatch this interloper?"

"No, Esoliks." Standing up, Kavgis' prosthetics whirred, straightening themselves out. He unhooked his talons from the roof leaving holes behind to look behind at his second in command. "This "Guardian" as I believe they call themselves, is no doubt here for the same reason we are." Examining his legion, they all stood armed and proud. Each had proven themselves to become a member of the King's Judgement, and were ready to prove it again. "Anything to report on the Energy reading we detected."

A Vandal pulled out a datapad and started punching commands. "No, there hasn't been any new surges like before."

"Very well. Keep me informed." Kavgis was a cold, top-notch assassin that killed without mercy, and served Peldaks with distinction for decades. But even he had to admit, the power they picked up would make even him hold his breath. "Such power." Kavgis paced, his metal feet clanking. He knew that most of the tech in their former lair had been taken, leaving very few explanations. "Whatever the case, you know why we're here. Peekis has returned."

Chatter started among the Assasins. All in the House knew that name. "While he may have been one of our greatest, he has only one reason to come back now. To destroy us. Although why he waited so long, I do not know. But he will not stop until the House is destroyed, Peldaks is dead and our future is gone. Tonight, that machine will lead us to him, and we bring, Peldaks, his head."

Kavgis turned back to the mountain that surely contained his target. "Soon, Peekis. We shall finally see."

After a good hike, Crux found himself entering a cave, tossing, and catching a recovered Shock Grenade in the air. "Next time, we're winging it with a sparrow."

"Your funeral."

An opened reinforced door greeted them. "Unexpected." Seeing computer terminal next to it, Crux wanted to get whatever info they could when he noticed it was smoking. "Damn thing's fried!" That's when he noticed that the inside of the base was covered with scorch marks. "What the?" He'd never seen this before. "Did Pekis do this?"

Deep inside the lair, Pekis awoke from his slumber. The cold, hard metal touching his face became more uncomfortable each passing second. 'Always hated doing that.' Lifting himself up, something small, and white fell off his head. "Again?"

His Ghost started powering up again. "Whoa, what? What's happening?"

Pekis didn't speak. Standing on his knees, his arms slumped, lower hands resting on the floor. Raising his gaze, his eyes were fixed on the now empty throne chair that he always remembered looking back down on him. His sight dropped to the two holes he made, then the rest of the room. The devastation that he wrought was a surprise. "I did this?"

"Yup, you almost brought the mountain down on us. Please don't go crazy again."

Pekis made a deep sigh. "No promises. I don't know what I'm capable of anymore."

"Well at least take it easy for a while. You saved your Light from dying, but it has been severely depleted. If you die, I can't bring you back."

Pekis took those words to heart. Did he really get that close to the edge? It had have been mostly a blur, but the memory of his anger still lingered. As well as a promise. "Vithras, I won't give up. I will live."

"Um, Who's, Vithras?"

Pekis only made a grunt as he lifted himself to his feet. His previous state had taken a toll on his physical strength. "So tired."

"You did almost explode. What did you expect?"

"To be dead." Standing, Pekis realized that the spot, where he stood, was left untouched by his wrath.

"PEKIS!" Said a very happy Exo.

"What?" Pekis turned around to see his friend Crux running to him. He stumped back when he received a surprise hug.

"Damn, when I saw this place trashed, I thought I'd be seeing your dead body on the floor." Crux pulled away. "I haven't seen you in weeks. How've you've been."

Pekis needed a minute for his body was sore. "I've been craving revenge. How did you find me?"

"Kelly is how. She gave me a lead on where you heading, and asked me to look for you." Crux thought back to the incident. "After she did...something."

Pekis did not like the sound of that. "Sounds...familiar."

"Yeah well..." Crux scratched the back of his uncovered head. "We can talk about it later. So the thing is after you left everyone at the tower started talking about you going rogue, and maybe decided to head back to the other side." Pekis should have expected that given the circumstances. He didn't give much explanation. "I'm hoping you can tell me that those are just lies. You know that the Vanguard have nothing to fear, you're still on our side, and we can go home for a debriefing."

Pekis had to admit it was strange. All he had done, and there still were questions about his loyalties. He turned to face the chair that the one he wanted dead more than anyone used to sit. "House Kings...means nothing to me anymore."

"The House of Kings!?" That was not the answer he expected. "Okay, then that's one question down. Zavala will have a dozen more for you."

"let him ask, and I will answer." Pekis started for the exit. "I grow tired of this place. Too many reminders, nothing useful."

'he seems to have changed.' Crux followed. "So can you tell me what happened here?" The scorch marks he saw on his way in were at their most intense state where they were.

"My wrath."

"What?"

"It's a long story." Pekis' Ghost answered for him. "Short answer, Pekis came here to kill the Kell of Kings, he wasn't here, Pekis got mad, and his Light almost went nuclear."

Crux's metal jaw dropped. "Wait, what happened!?"

"Well, that confirms my theory," Soul said.

Pekis stopped in front of the elevator. Just like everything else it was fried beyond repair. He started to pull at the roof, exposing the inside to the elevator shaft. "We climb."

"Up thirty floors? Pekis, I'm not as good a climber as you."

"Shorter way." Pekis jumped on top of the cab. He extended his hand to Crux and lifted him up. "Come." Pekis latched on to the shaft wall started climbing in seconds he was up fifteen floors and started prying some doors open.

"Okay."

Pekis lead the way through the base. The scene was just like everywhere else. Covered in scorch marks, electronic destroyed, completely empty. A door opened revealing by far the largest area in the base. "This is the hangar."

Crux did need him to know that. The leftover Fallen skiffs in disrepair, either with missing hull plating, or engines, told him that. Barrels of ship fuel were stacked on top of each other, probably an oversight. at the far end, the main hangar door was open, allowing the outside air, and snow to come in. "Impressive. it's bigger than the Tower hangar."

"We can call our ships from here."

"Great." Crux was still recovering from his climb. It never stopped amazing him how great climbers the Fallen are. Watching him he noticed his general mood was different. Before he was more free-spirited, and now it was like he had the biggest buzz kill ever. "Pekis, uh, do you need to talk about anything."

"Not to you. You wouldn't understand."

"You sure?"

Pekis stopped, giving him a face of pure seriousness.

Crux held up both hands. "It's cool."

Pekis looked away and sighed. "It's not you. I-I went through something horrible long ago, and it's still fresh in my mind. I don't believe I'll ever be the same."

That was more depressing then what Crux was used to. "I'm sorry."

"Don't. I just need time" Pekis' mind remembered his old lover. That's when the conflict started. Old and newer memories clashed for dominance. His heart struggling to decided who he was loyal to.

"But you're still on our side, right?"

Pekis' memories shifted again. All he had cherished before were gone. His plans had failed. All that was left belonged to Peldaks. "The City is my House now. Only enemies remain in House Kings."

"Your pretty much the first Guardian to call the City that. You should get that trademarked."

Pekis didn't know what that meant. Before he could ask a sound rang in his ears. "What is that?" Pekis was on alert.

"What was What?" Crux didn't hear anything.

"That sound. like metal on metal." Pekis shut his eyes to let his hearing take over. The sound drew closer in a rhythmic pattern. Like footsteps. Then his nose caught a scent. The scent of Eliksni. More than one. "We are not alone."

By that time, Crux was already checking his Strange Suspect to make sure it was loaded. "And here I thought I being sneaking."

The scents were coming from all directions now. They had been surrounded, but those footsteps were the most troubling to him.

Pekis' Ghost was afraid of this. His Light was nowhere near ready for a fight. "Pekis, remember what I said!"

"I know."

"Know what?" Crux asked scanning their surroundings.

"Not now." The footsteps stopped, indicating the battle was about to start. "Where are you?" Pekis was focused on determining the location of the source. It was when a whirring sound that came he knew. "ABOVE US!"

A metallic ball hit the floor between the two. "WEB MINE!" Pekis pushed Crux out of the blast range, and he evaded in the opposite direction. A second later a dome of white web-like energy separated them. That's when the shooting started.

As Crux scrambled to get up he was already getting hit by shock round. "Shit!" He took aim, nothing except the blue glows to reveal their enemies location. Firing, the bursts from his scout rifle gave off flashes of light, and the impacts revealed a blue glow around the vandal that had taken the shot. "They got shields."

"Six o'clock!" Soul warned.

Crux spun around, pulling his knife out in time to block a Shock Sword. "Damn their fast!"

The captain in his face let our hate-filled snarls wanting to see the insides of the Exo. Bearing down with two hands, she unsheathed her other sword with a third.

"Shit!" With both hands, Crux managed to push her back, her second sword an inch too far from gutting him. One handed, he tried to shoot his scout rifle, but three shock rounds from her Shock Pistol shot the gun out of his hand. The damaged gun fell to the floor, forcing the Hunter to switch to his Last Word. "Who are these guys!"

"The King's Judgement!" On the other end, Pekis was in the middle of dodging the swords coming at him. Three Vandals had surrounded him, taking turns on attacking. With what light he had thanks to his Ghost, he was able to make out the symbols on their armor. A pair of swords crossed together behind the House of Kings' insignia. "Assasins!"

"That's just perfect!" Crux was running to avoid the hail of bullets coming at him. Esoliks switched to her Wire Rifle, taking shots as the vandals at her side did the same with Shock Rifles. Crux vaulted over an assortment of empty crates, returning fire with his hand cannon. His bullets managed to take out the shields of a vandal, the next impacted his armor with a spark, but not enough to kill him. "They got tough armor!"

Pekis didn't have time to process a response. Another vandal came at him with dual swords, going for the kill. Too close for a gun, Pekis unsheathed his Shock Knife. The first sword went for his chest and was prairied away by the Knife. The Second went for the stomach. Not in the right position, Pekis had to step back to avoid getting cut when another came at him from behind. Instinct kick in, Pekis spun around, knocking the sword away with his knife, the move pushing the vandal off balance. Seeing the chance, he closed the gap, grabbing onto the vandal's sword-holding arms, and with a jerk, he broke one of them at the elbow.

The Vandal howled in pain, his grip on his sword loosened, it fell out his hand when Pekis kicked him away. The sword hung in the air for a second, then Pekis took hold of it, and charge. In one swing he cut a gash through the Vandal's torso, blood spattering as he fell to the ground. A second came at him from the side, prompting him to block with his new sword. The Vanda's continued assault was ineffective against the older, and far more experience Eliksni, whose specialty was single sword combat. The swords locked, Pekis swept the Vandal's legs into the air and impaled him to the ground. The third came at him for behind. Pekis picked up the body from the floor and threw it. The vandal had to dodge his fallen comrade giving his opponent the time he needed. Pekis fire his Stranger's Rifle, expecting a few bursts to do the trick, but was surprised.

Rather than hit the shields first, the bullets seemed to bypass them, then cut holes directly through the armor like it was nothing. The vandal dropped dead. "Surprising." Hearing the gunfire yards away, the Hunter made it his business to help his friend but was stopped by a Shock Grenade throw at him. Right next to some fuel barrels. "No!" Pekis ran the other way, then the blast from a fireball blew him farther, rolling him into the side of a skiff engine. The wind knocked out of him, Pekis struggled to get up when a loud metal slam echoed throughout the hangar.

Flames lit up the area. Pekis got on one knee to see what it was. illuminated by the fire, a being standing on two prosthetic legs, most of his body covered by a yellow cloak, half his face covered with metal, his two red cyborg optics stood out. "Who are you?" Pekis stood up, examining the thing before him.

"You do not recognize me, Peekis?" The assassin dropped his cloak to the floor, revealing more of his cybernetics. All four arms had been replaced by metal ones. armor plating had been grafted onto most of his body. He pulled his hood back showing his dark hair laced with yellow dye, and what was left of the organic matter of his head. "I'm surprised you could have forgotten me so easily after our years of rivalry."

"Rivalry?" Connections start forming in his mind. What was left of his facial features started ringing bells, as well as the organic part of his electronic sounding voice. Pekis' mind kept working at it and working at it until it came back to him. "Kavgis! You're still alive!?"

"I could ask the same of you!"

Pekis could barely recognize him. "What have you done to yourself?"

"While you were gone, I achieved new heights. For my years of servitude, Peldaks granted me new options. Options that I gladly accepted. It was only a matter of time before I earned my place as head of King's Judgement. What stands before you is the apex of the House's technological achievements. I have become the ultimate warrior."

Pekis couldn't stomach what he was hearing. "All you are is an abomination." He spat. "Peldaks, made you head of King's Judgement? He must be going mad in his age."

"What right do you have to speak of such things! After what you tried!"

"Shut up!" Enrage Pekis charged with his sword.

"Fool." Kavgis adjusted his lower arm, firing a cable out of the palm. The end of it attached to Pekis' chest, then pulled him to Kavgis. He readied his own sword for a single implement. Thinking fast, Pekis cut the cable, rolling onto the floor to Kavgis' feet. The next thing he knew, Kavgis grabbed him by the throat, using his prosthetic foot to wrap its talons around his neck. "How disappointing." Kavgis made a 360-degree spin, Throwing Pekis several yards away. "That is not the Peekis I knew. What happened to the skill you had. Where is that great power that all Houses speak of."

Pekis got back on his feet, shaking off that defeat. "Did you forget what I told you! If you die I can't bring you back!"

"I know, I know. I let my anger get the best of me." Pekis took a deep breath to calm himself. He should have know better. He knew Kavgis. He would try anything to get Pekis off balance. "I'm fine now." Pekis took out his helmet, and mask, putting them back on. "Our "rivalry" dies with you, Kavgis"

Behind the metal plating, and ether mask, Kavgis was overjoyed. It had been too long since he had a worthy opponent. As beneficial as his augmentations had been, it made hunting his prey far too easy. And if half the stories of what Peekis had done since his return are true, then it would be a worthwhile battle.

Approaching, Pekis twirled his sword in one hand before taking a fighting stance. Kavgis pulled out another sword, his wrists started spinning as he prepared. The two Eliksni lock eyes while gunshots could still be heard from afar. Crux was managing for the time being, but Pekis knew he had to help. That meant getting through Kavgis first.

"Come forward, Peekis. Peldaks may have postponed this fight, but now is time. Let us finally see which of us is the greatest warrior in all of House Kings."

"You were never a warrior, Kavgis. But you were always a monster."

Hearing that, Kavgis started his pace. His rotating hands sped up, turning the swords into active buzzsaws.

"Is that normal in the House of Kings?" Pekis' Ghost asked, obviously scared for him.

"No." Pekis kept his cool. His upper arms gripped the sword handle tighter, and kept his lower hand holding his pistols. The gap grew smaller between them. Kavgis had grown several inches taller than Pekis in the past fifty years. Just feet away, Pekis' gaze switched between swords. Which one would Kavgis strike with first?

It was the left.

While blades were dancing, Crux was in a jam. After managing to kill four Vandals, The remaining Fallen chose to get in close. Esoliks lead the attack drawing her swords again. A vandal behind her threw a Shock Grenade, sticking to the crate Crux was behind. "Crap." He took off running. "Come on! Can't we settle this with rock, paper, scissors!" He threw a vortex grenade behind him.

Seeing the threat, Esoliks ordered the other to follow her as she climbed up an abandoned skiff, and onto a nearby catwalk.

Pekis jump to avoid a swing at his legs. Coming back down he took a hard swing at Kavgis' head but was blocked. He back away to catch his breath, hitting another fuel barrel.

Kavgis, on the other hand, was fine. Elated to be exact. Most of his organs had been replaced with electronic counterparts. Despite this, he hadn't felt so alive in a long time. Peekis was definitely the challenge he craved. He hadn't lost his step after all these years. "I forgot how skilled you are."

"Years of training, no fake parts." Pekis wrapped an arm around the barrel, gently shaking it. There wasn't too much fuel left.

"Maybe Vithras would still be here is you did."

That did it. Pekis pick up the barrel in two hands and threw it. Kavgis raised a sword to cut through it when Pekis fired a Shock Pistol, igniting the remaining fuel. Bits of shrapnel hit Kavgis body, the heat blocking his thermal vision so he couldn't see Pekis until he was in his face. He lifted his sword up, taking Kavgis lower arm off. sparks flew, electricity cracking from the cut. "AHH!" He activated the taser in his other hand, touching Pekis on the shoulder before he could attack again.

A painful shock spread through his body. His muscle contracted uncontrollably until Kavgis pulled away, and delivered a serious punch to Pekis' face, sending him flying. Some of his teeth dislodged from his mandible, body too in shock to take his mask off to spit them out.

Seeing his target down, Kavgis went in for the kill. "I am the greatest." He was about to finish it when he was shot in the back.

"Hey over here!" Crux unloaded his Last Word, then switched to his Matador 64.

Angered, Kavgis shouted, "Esoliks!"

"Yes!" Esoliks jump down.

Hearing her come from up above, Crux jump out of the way in time before she landed on top of him. the remaining vandals followed, the closest met the barrel end of Crux's shotgun.

With that taken care of, Kavgis turn to see Pekis recovering, taking his mask off. Before he could get up again, the cyborg grabbed him, lifting him to eye level. "You'll be seeing her so-"

Pekis spit his teeth out, one sharp end sticking into only of Kavgis organic eyes. One eye blinded, Pekis press the advantage, stabbing his arm with his Shock Knife. the electricity short-circuited it, forcing Kavgis to drop him to his feet. Next Pekis picked his sword back up impaling it into Kavgis' stomach.

"AAAHHH!" Overcoming the pain, Kavgis dropped his swords, repeated punching Pekis until he was away from him, then proceeded to rip the sword out of him. There was virtually no blood loss, only sparks. "I-I don't remember the last time I was this alive." He almost laughed. Unable to open his eyes, he relied on his optics to see.

Pekis took off his helmet, blood coming out of a wound on his head, and from his mouth. Kavgis fists did a number on him.

Crux finished off the last vandal, Leaving Esoliks the last one. She tacked him knocking the shotgun out of his hand, and pinned him to the floor. She kept punching him, not caring about the pain from his helmet. "Crazy broad! His hands searched frantically for his gun, a rock, anything that could help. He grabbed something hard, swinging it at Esoliks head. She fell over, dazed but not dead. Crux struck again, and again, and again, until she stopped moving. He dropped the pipe, hands shaking. He killed a lot of Fallen before, but not like that. "What is...wrong with you?"

"Crux, Pekis!" Soul warned.

"You were wrong, Peekis." Savgis pick up the sword Pekis was using. "Our rivalry dies with you." He snapped it in half, then readied his own sword.

Pekis hadn't fully recovered yet. Wobbly, he stood, his vision slightly blurred. He could make out the sounds of clanking approaching

"A shame you refused to show me your power." He raised his sword to a fatal blow. Reflexes still shot, Pekis was to slow to get out of the way fast enough.

"How's this for power!" Crux got one knee, holding his arm out where void Light took the form of a bow. Pulling the string back, he let go.

Just as Kavgis was about to finish it, he was engulfed in purple light. He couldn't move. "AHH, What is this!"

Pekis' Ghost managed to heal his wounds. "Start shooting!"

Seeing Kavgis trapped, Pekis pulled his pistols out with his Stranger's Rifle. All four hand started working, sending an assortment of ammo at him.

Crux did the same, firing his 1000-Yard Stare from where he was.

Unable to move, Kavgis was helpless against their onslaught. Feeling every bullet punch his metal body, tearing into him. By the time the Shadowshot wore off, his body was sparking like Dawning-Day lights. But it was not the end. "PEEKIS!" He Charged in a fury forcing Pekis to run. Crux did his best to keep up but they were too fast.

Kavgis chased him all the way to the hangar entrance, cold touching their faces. Behind him, Pekis heard the sounds of everything he passed being thrashed aside. Ahead he spotted another pile of fuel barrels and a new planned form. Using a Shock grenade he acquired before, he planted it on a nearby crate, just before his feet touched the snow. Blinded, Kavgis couldn't see the trap he was walking into until it was too late. The proximity detector of the bomb activated, detonating the grenade, and the fuel. A massive explosion consumed Kavgis, nearly destroying him. Pekis stopped, turning around to see the massive fireball he created.

Crux caught up too late to help. the fires burned hot, too dangerous to try running through so he went around seeing Pekis come back. They met up. "Pekis, what happened?"

"Trap. Kavgis walked right into it."

"Kavgis? Did you know that guy?"

Pekis nodded. "What about the others?"

Crux's hands started shaking again. "Dead. Pretty sure we got them all." His voice was less than enthusiastic.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I just..." Crux didn't finish.

The two of them stayed there, watching the fires burn, and die down as the fuel making them was consumed. "It's finished. Call our ship, Ghost."

"Got it. The vanguard will want an explanation you know."

"I know."

The sounds of engines in the distance roared in the air. Before they got close enough, something else got their attention. In the pile of rubble and metal the blast created, something was moving. "What is that?" Crux asked.

"Be ready." Pekis grabbed his Shock Pistols. Getting closer, pieces of scape were being moved aside by a large metal hand. "He still lives."

Pinned underneath the hot metal, Kavgis slowly pulled himself out of the debris with his only hand. He tried to get a grip on the floor when Pekis grabbed his forearm pulling the rest of him out into the open to reveal the extent of his damage. Both his legs had been destroyed the explosion. The metal plating of his body had been lost, exposing the sparking circuitry beneath them. His ether mask was gone, and so was his last real eye. Kavgis manage to flip himself over on his back to face them. Coughing he said, "So this is how it ends..."

"This is how it must be." Pekis unsheathed his knife, the fires of anger burn brightly. Crux took a step back letting the two Fallen sort it out.

"You intend to kill me when I can't defend myself? You've truly have changed. A shame it wasn't in time to-"

Pekis stomped on his remain arm. The metal and wires crushed under his might until they broke off. "Silence!"

"AHH!" Kavgis was now limbless. Accepting his fate, he said. "Your father was right to put you where you belong. You know as well as I that even if you kill me, Peldaks will have a thousand more to kill you."

Pekis picked his body up by his remaining hair.


	30. Chapter 30

Earth, The Last City, Tower

During the time Pekis decided to go off the grid, things at the tower had gotten chatty. A bit too chatty for Kelly in some cases. Rumors spread fast about what he could be up to. For the most part, Pekis had done well earning the trust of the Vanguard, and many of the guardians fighting against the Darkness. But among the masses of citizens, and Guardians would always be the underlying sliver of suspicion, mistrust, or simple hate for the Eliksni.

Because of this, the people who associate with him are bound to become targets of that hate. Most are smart enough to keep between themselves, but there are some that are dumb enough to think they spew it to people they shouldn't, and not get hurt.

"YOU BURN MY BALLS OFF, YOU CRAZY BITCH!" A very unhappy Titian screamed.

Kelly had to be held back by two security frames after hearing that. And she definitely made it a challenge for them. "COME OVER HERE, AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE, AND WE CAN DO IT AGAIN!"

"Can the two of you please calm down to we can properly discuss this!?" Ikora was just at her wit's end for the day. She didn't understand why incidents like this continued to occur.

The incident in question was just a while ago when a "fight" broke out in the tower. Kelly was in the middle of a call with her friend when a bigoted Titian blurted out a highly offensive slur to her about the Hunter she was having an affair with. Since Pekis left, she did her best to shrug off some of the things others have been saying about him, but what that guy said crossed the line for her. Kelly ended her call, then walked up to the smug Titian who was still laughing. The next thing he knew, she had him pinned to the wall, holding onto him with a death grip, one hand on his shoulder, the other on his reinforced codpiece.

Before he could make some crude remark about her wanting an actual man, she used her Light to superheat the crotch armor. When he realized what she was up to he used all his strength to pry her off. As much as he tried she did not let go, and the metal started melting in her hand, followed by the layer of suit underneath, then the squishy bits it covered. He screamed as loud as any man could when going through that before falling to the ground in absolute pain. By the time his Ghost quickly undid the damage, Tower security had been notified.

"DISCUSS!? WHAT IS THERE TO DISCUSS!? THAT BUG LOVING PYSCHO BITCH BURNED MY BALLS OFF!"

"Because he was being a complete stupid asshole!" Kelly stopped struggling, knowing it wasn't helping anything.

"I'm the stupid asshole!? Your the one who's friends with a Fallen you dumb bitch! How stupid do you have to be to do that!? I was just talking the truth!"

"Fuck you! You don't know anything about him! What you said about him was just stupid, and racist!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Cayde interrupt, "No need to be throwing the R word around. I mean it hasn't been used in...what, centuries? I don't see any reason to bring it back?"

"Centuries?" Kelly didn't get it. "What world do you live in?"

"The real question is what world should I live in. And that answer is one where I'm not in the Vanguard."

"Cayde, enough," Ikora interjected. Cayde did as she said, while Zavala decided to let her take the lead on this. "Now, Kelly, whatever he might have said about your friend, your response was completely out of line. You can't attack other Guardians in the Tower unless in self-defense."

"Yeah, you don't what to end up like that guy who tied to kill, Pekis', Ghost."

"What!?" Kelly never heard of that.

"Cayde." Ikora gave him a stern look.

"Sorry."

Ikora turned back to Kelly. "And with, Pekis, still being an unknown variable, for the time being, the last thing you should be doing is causing more confusion than there already is."

Kelly sighed. She couldn't argue with that. Pekis was gone, and lashing out at others was going to do anything. She needed to stay calm, and collected to figure out what to do. "Your right, ma'am."

"I'm glad you can think clearly now, but until further notice, you will be placed on suspension. You'll be confined to the Tower. No missions, Crucible, or visiting the City unless there is an emergency."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Suspension!?" The Titian couldn't believe it. "She fried my nuts, and all she gets is a suspension!?"

"Enough, Guardian!" Zavala shouted. "You are a Titan. You were meant to be an unwavering pillar that supports the defense of the City. Learn, and move on from this experience."

"Yeah, and plus your a Guardian," Cayde said. "You could get blown up, and be back in seconds like nothing happened. Now if she tried to do that to your Ghost then she'd probably be facing time for that. I mean if a Ghost dies there is no coming back."

The Titan in question shook with anger. His fist clenched as hard as they could. "Are you serious!?"

"Yes," Ikora told him. "If you have any grievances, don't seek revenge, take them out in the crucible."

Cayde could see the Titan wasn't that satisfied with that. "Yeah, I would try anything with Ikora. She can get nasty in a fight. Shaxx, can tell you all about it. Isn't that right, Shaxx."

Shaxx, having overheard the conversation from where he was, simply gave a grunt.

"Zavala, you can tell him, can't you. You know, what, Kelly, did to you a few hours ago." Cayde ended with a laugh.

"Yeeess. We can talk about that another time. For now, we must discuss a more urgent matter. You two are dismissed."

Her business there concluded, Kelly walked out with her head down. 'First, Bitsine, blows up a shooting range, Pekis goes rogue, now this. Did one of us break a mirror? I hope Crux has luck finding him.' As Kelly contemplated her thoughts she was unaware of someone rushing to catch her.

A hand on her shoulder, spun her around for her to see that Titan with his fist in the air, charge with void power. "You Bitch!"

"Oh, Fuck!" Kelly ready her light to respond when someone stepped in.

Shaxx, being the closest to them, dashed, wrapping an arm around the Titan's neck, pulling him away from her before pinning him to the ground. His face kissing the floor, the Titan move his head on its side to speak. "What is your problem!?"

Not moving his arm, Shaxx said, "You heard Ikora. Take your anger out in the Crucible, not the Tower."

Kelly was thankful for that intervention. "Thank you, Lord Shaxx."

"I'll hold him here until you leave. Light be with you, Guardian."

Happy to see that dick with his face to the ground, Kelly took her time leaving. After getting back to the Courtyard, a grim fact came back to her. "Great, I'm stuck in the Tower." She could only hope that Crux was able to find him, and that he would return safely. "Please come back."

_ Earth, Russia, Vologda

Pekis looked down at the broken assassin. Kavgis' body sparked uncontrollably, the metal that replaced so much of him shattered from the explosion, or melted from the heat. His remaining skin had been severely burned, along with most of his hair. No limbs, almost no sight left, he was helpless against the ex-baron standing over him, fury still burning strong. "Your father was right to put you where you belong. You know as well as I that even if you kill me, Peldaks, will have a thousand more to kill you."

Hearing that name enraged Pekis further. The name of the one that took everything from him. Growling, Pekis grabbed hold of what was left of Kavgis' hair, using it to lift up what remained of him. Bits, and pieces of Kavgis' cybernetics hit the ground. Loose wiring dangled from his body as he was now at eye level. "You think killing me will change anything? You think it will bring you closer to, Peldaks?"

Pekis drove his fist into him, pulling out more of the machinery that kept Kavgis alive. "No. But knowing you are out of the way will make finding him easier."

Wincing in pain, Kavgis coughed out some blood before saying, "Fool! You don't know how much things have changed. You think we would have moved elsewhere without a plan? Peldaks knew you would return, and now the House is out of your reach where you'll never find it. All in the House are loyal to Peldaks. All are willing to die for him, to reclaim our right."

Pekis pulled his knife out, holding it to Kavgis' throat. "If all are willing to die for him, then that's how many will. I have lived under his shadow long enough. Our people have terrorized this world for years, and I will put an end to it."

"You?" Kavgis laughed. "You already failed to stop anything."

Pekis pulled his knife back getting ready to use it. "It won't happen again."

The air became incredibly tense. Kavgis stared at the blade, the sound of his mechanical heart rung in his ears. "All hail, Peldaks!" Were his last words.

Crux waited patiently on a tree log. Having called the ships, they hovered over the ground waiting for their respective pilots to board. Recent events played fresh in his mind. While he had decided to let Pekis sort it out, he did overhear some things. "Wow. That got more personal that I'm used to."

"makes sense." Soul said, "We are talking about, Pekis. It shouldn't be a surprise if he knows some of the Fallen we fight."

"Yeah I know, but what do you think the other guy meant when he said..."

Kavgis' body hit the ground dead. Kavgis, the most feared assassin of the House of Kings, was no more. Pekis' hand stained blue, his knife dripped blood. He stared down at his former nemesis. For years Kavgis plagued him, and now it was over. To Pekis, Kavgis was everything he hated. No morals, no target too innocent to kill, fueled by blind loyalty. "Look where it got you."

"You seriously want to take it home with us!?" His Ghost said, reaching a new level of disgust. "As what? A trophy?"

"No." Pekis grabbed a cloth out his pouch, and whipped his blade clean. "A message." Sheathing his knife, Pekis left the body where it was. His feet stepped on the snow outside. Before continuing, Pekis stood still. Looking into the clouded night sky, snow continued to fall, flakes melting when reaching the skin of his face. Kavgis was dead, but he knew it was far from over. Peldaks had more. More soldiers, more plans, more time. Not to mention everything else out there. The Darkness, Hive, Vex, Cabal, and the other Houses. All were plotting to see him dead after what he had done so far. To see the City destroyed, and everything he grew attached to gone. "No, not again! NOT AGAIN!" He shouted. "PELDAKS, I WILL NEVER STOP! YOU HEAR ME!? NO MATTER WHERE YOU HIDE, OR HOW QUICKLY YOU RUN, I WILL FIND YOU!" Pekis' voice echoed through the mountains.

"Whoa! What is he mad about?" Crux stood up hearing the echo continue for a few seconds. "Who's, Peldaks?"

Pekis met up with Crux. Wiping his hand clean he tossed the bloodied rag to the ground. "We're done here. Nothing left."

Crux took note of the blue stains the rage soaked up. "Sooo, what happened to the other guy?"

"Dead," he said coldly. Pekis walked past him, heading to his ship. "Let us return."

"Okay." Crux was slightly creeped out by out coldly he said that. Pekis had changed. The way he talked, he acted, the feeling he gave off. But he obviously wasn't a danger to him. Crux was about to follow him when he remembered something. "Um, Pekis, what did that guy mean when he said, "Your father"?"

In a flash, Pekis disappeared, and was back in his ship. Taking hold of the control, his ship spun in the air, then engines blasted off.

"A question for another day then."

_ One Hour LaterEarth, Last City, Tower

Kelly decided to start off her suspension by sleeping through the rest of the night. After spending the last few days with her face at a computer screen, it was about time to give her eyes some rest. But as try as she might she wasn't getting anywhere. Tossing, and turning, her mind was too distracted for sleep. "Damn it." She sat up, throwing the pillow on her head to the side.

"You've been up for the past three nights, and you still can't sleep?" Her Ghost said.

"How can I sleep? I'm just got on suspension, Bitsine, isn't around right now, Pekis, is who knows where, and the Vanguard is trying to decide whether to have him shot on sight, or not. It's not that easy to sleep all that is going through your head."

"I suppose not, but..."

"What?

"It's just that...First, Bitsine, then, Pekis, then you. What is with you three and getting in trouble? I don't remember the last time a Fireteam that was like that."

"First of all, It's not like we're trying to do that. Bitsine got too excited, That dick had it coming, and Pekis...he has issues to work out." Kelly fell silent.

Kelly's Ghost mentally kicked himself. Now probably wasn't the best time to be bringing this stuff up.

Kelly moved her legs off the bed, and stared at the floor. Lifting her head, the sight of Pekis vacant bed fill her with sorrow. He barely said anything. He just left. Before that, he didn't say anything. As hard as she tried to talk to him, he would respond. "Why won't you let me in?"

"Wait a minute. I getting something." Kelly's Ghost was monitoring the Tower's comms for any information on Pekis. Suddenly, there was a lot of chatter coming from Hanger.

"What is it?"

"There's a lot of talk. They've detected an incoming ship...that matches the design of Pekis' ship!"

"What!?"

Pekis slowed down the closer he got. Crux followed behind him. As hard as he tried, he couldn't get what Kavgis said out of his head. "So, Pekis, have you figured out what you're going to say to the Vanguard?"

"The truth." Pekis adjusted his grip on the controls as he piloted his ship to the Hanger.

His Ghost spoke. "I'm getting a message from, Cayde-6."

"Put him through."

The first thing that came through was the sound of an excited Exo. "Yeeesss! You see! I told you, Zavala! I told you! He did come back!"

"Yes, yes, I can see that, Cayde."

"And you thought he was going to kill us. I guess you owe him an apology."

Pekis was quiet as he landed the ship. The two Vanguard continued going back, and forth with each other, doing little to put Pekis at ease. Hearing them put his loyalties into question made him growl. All the times he put his life on the line, and Zavala would suggest that he would stab them in the back. But knowing that Cayde had faith in him did put him at ease a bit. At least there were some who trusted him.

"Huh, you think, Zavala, would have come around by now." Pekis Ghost said.

"Let it be. It's part of his position to be suspicious." With what intel Pekis had, he knew Zavala would be thankful.

Pekis transmated out of the ship. Feet hitting the Hanger floor, the first to greet him was the one in charge. "Howdy." Amanda Holliday walked up to him, holding a datapad in one hand, and a wrench in the other. "Wow, you are bigger in person." Amanda trailed her eyes up, and down his figure, having never seen a Fallen up close in years. Pekis was at least a foot taller than she was. "Word around the Tower is that you got the Vanguard throwing a hissy. You'd better go talk to them ASAP."

Her accent sounded odd, and pleasant to him. Pekis bowed his head to her, "Thank you. I'll be going now."

"You're friendlier than people say. If you'd like, I can give your ship a free tune-up. Least I can do for you." The blond haired woman said.

"I would appreciate it." Pekis began walking away, Tower workers watching him from afar with interest.

"Also, I heard your people are handy with tech. If you'd like I could throw work your way if you have the know-how, and need the extra glimmer."

Pekis hit the call button for the elevator. "Wait for me." Crux showed up just as the doors opened. The two hunters entered, and Pekis picked the next floor up. "We're finally back."

"Yes...But it is not over." Pekis spoke calmly, his face still, his voice unwavering. "Not until he is dead."

Crux wasn't sure what to think of this new Pekis. "Uh, who?" The elevator door opened, Pekis stepped out to the upper Hanger level. "Again?"

"I will say in time."

"That's a start."

Pekis walked past Guardians, and workers alike. Most grew to accept him. He had dealt their enemies crippling blows, helped bring Light back to the Traveler, even turned against his own kind. He had earned their trust, but..."Hey, freak!" There were still those people.

Pekis, and Crux stopped, turning around to see a pissed off titan approach. Nearby bystanders turned their head at the commotion. The two Hunters stood side by side while the titan stomped right in front of the alien. "What?" Pekis asked, not in the mood.

The titan shoved him back, "Where the hell did you go, huh!? Back to your raggedy piece shit Ketch I bet! Or maybe to tell your friends what you know about us!"

steaming, but still in control, Pekis found his footing. Taking a step forward, he looked down at the bothersome titan. "You know nothing! I have actually important matters to tend to. Leave me be."

Crux grabbed one of his arms, and tried to pull him back. "Yeah, what he said. We got things to do." He was hoping to avoid an incident, but the other guy wasn't. The titan pushed Crux. He almost fell back, but Pekis manage to catch him in time.

"Fuck you! Who's side are you on, huh!? Since when are you pro-four eyes!?" At this time, more Guardians started becoming aware of the tension.

"Hey, I'm on the City's side, the Traveler's side, and so is he. He's put his ass on the line just like the rest of us so back off." Crux was normally easy going, but even he was starting to get serious. Then he got a punch to the face. "Ah! Damn it!" Crux covered his "nose" area.

"On our side!? He got one us thrown in jail!"

Now openly growling, Pekis forcibly pushed him back, making him fall on his ass. "He brought it on himself! Leave now before you do the same!" Pekis commanded, showing his teeth. Unknown to him, other Guardians began getting closer.

"Why should he!?" A Warlock walked up behind the Titan, staring Pekis down. "Your kind have been attacking us for years! You should be banished, or killed as far as I'm concerned."

Pekis clenched his fists, his claws threatening to draw blood. "Not MY kind!"

Angry now, Crux was not about to let that go. "You really don't want this fight."

"And what are you gonna do about it?" A Hunter decided to join the other team as well as another Titan, and a Warlock. Most of the regular workers got the hell away from the scene. Lakshmi-2, in her office overlooking the Hanger, watched through her window. Arach Jalaal also stayed away, silently rooting for Pekis to get beaten to death.

"I stick my foot up your ass! That's what I'll do!" Much to everyone's surprise, Bitsine showed up behind the anti-Pekis crowd wearing a worker's uniform. It shined blue, and was replaced by her armor.

"Bitsine?" Pekis said.

"Hey. I heard you were back, and I wanted to say hi." She explained. "Now you assholes get lost!" She demanded, flexing her Thagomizer gauntlets.

"I heard of you your one of those bitches on his Fireteam."

Bitsine grabbed a wretch from a nearby table and threw it at the Titan who said that.

"Ow!"

"You guys are really stupid." Bitsine told them.

"Us!? there's five of us, and three of you." the Warlock said.

"Four." Walking up next to Bitsine, a Warlock with orange-red hair, wearing Voidfang Vestements.

"Kelly." Pekis let roll out his mouth. Seeing her again brought back so many emotions, but also caused great turmoil in him. Who did his heart belong to?

"I finally hear that you're back, and this is what happens. More assholes?" Kelly recognized one of the Titans. "You again!?" She held out her hand, her palm burning with solar power. "Do we really need a repeat?"

The Titan she was referring to back away, putting extra distance between himself, and her, subconsciously covering his crotch with a hand. "Fuck off you crazy bitch." What he wasn't aware of is that he back himself within arms reach of the Fallen.

Pushed past the line, Pekis grab him by the shoulder, turning him around to give him a punch to the face. A molar dislodged, blood shot out his mouth. For a Hunter, he knew how to use a fist. Stunned, he couldn't stop Pekis from landing another, knocking his tooth out. Pekis followed up by tackling him, picking him up to use him as a battering ram, plowing through his comrades, knocking them over, and charging with him until he hit a wall. The Titan taking the brunt of it, Pekis pulled back then pinned against the wall with his hand to his throat, then proceeded to land punch after punch to his face. "Don't! Talk! To! Her! Like! That!"

Getting back up, a warlock recovered from her daze to see Pekis unleashing a rage-filled onslaught. "Oh, shit!" She ran, trying to help the Titan by attack Pekis from behind.

But Bitsine wasn't having that. Before the Warlock got close enough, Bitsine intercepted her, lifting her up by the throat, then slamming her down on the floor. Bitsine followed Pekis' example, and didn't let up on her.

Chaos ensued. The second Titan charge crux, who move out of the way in time, sticking his foot out to trip him. "Ha!" His victory was short lived when the other Hunter struck him on the side of his head. But since he had a metal head, the Hunter hurt his hand. Crux responded by giving him a good kick to the stomach, then was knocked down from behind by the Titan.

The second Warlock pushed Bitsine off her foe, and paid her back with a Scorch. The heat burned its way through Bitsine's armor. "Hot! Hot! Hot!"

"That's the idea!" The Warlock picked his college up, and was going to take advantage of Bitsine's predicament when an Axion Bolt caught their attention.

Kelly's grenade turned into seeking void bombs forcing the two Warlocks to get the hell away. The burn effect Bitsine was suffering from wore off, signaling her to get some revenge. By the time she got to her feet Kelly was slowly making her way to the culprits, fire burning in her hands. "That asshole's mine!" Bitsine ran past her, charging with arc power, she went for the one that burned her.

Pekis let the Titan go. His nose smashed, and unconscious, his heavy armor forced him to hit the floor like a brick. The wounds were one thing, but his Ghost couldn't wake him up in he was knocked out. Satisfied, Pekis turned around to see his friend Crux on the floor while two other hammered away at his prone, struggling form. That brought up some very, very bad memories.

Try as he might, Crux couldn't get up to defend himself with those two not giving him a chance. The hunter kicking, and stomping on him looked at him with disgust. "Where's your bug friend now!?"

Six fingers grabbed his head. "Right here." Pekis snapped his neck. Tossing the body to the side, he then focused his anger on the surprised Titan. The Titan backed away, giving Crux the space he needed, then sprinted forward throwing a fist. Pekis pushed Crux out of the way, and grabbed it with his hand. "I got him! Take care of the other one!"

"Other-" A flash of light drew his attention. "Oh." The other Hunter came back to life, but a kick to the face stopped him from enjoying it. His head hit the floor again, when Crux straddled his stomach, and grabbed him by the scarf around his neck. "Payback dickhole!"

The Titan swung his other fist only for it to be caught as well. The one thing he was learning was that Pekis was definitely strong. Pekis snarled in anger, stepping forward, he pushed the Titan back. Feeling his feet slide back on the floor sent a shiver up his spine. With Pekis not letting go, he tried to electrify his hands betting that would get him to. When the Eliksni felt bolts of arc energy surge through his arms it was painful, but that only motivated him to hold on tighter. Slowly he kept walking forward, the electricity getting more intense with each step until the Titan's heels hit the bottom of the stairs. With a burst of adrenalin, Pekis shoved him all the way back, pinning his back uncomfortably against the metal stairs. A new feeling of fear overwhelmed the Awoken Titan as he stared into the eyes of the Hunter who was growling intensely, heart beating rapidly from pain, and the challenge.

Bitsine had the Warlock who burned her where she wanted him. At her mercy. She pulled the arm he used to attack her then brought her elbow down on it, breaking it. His screaming didn't last when she nailed him in the jaw to shut him up, then worked on the rest of him. "How this for hot!?" Bitsine said, sending arc power with every hit.

Kelly was in a type of duel with the other Warlock. The two of them attempted to attack each other with their Light. The result being the two forces were in a statement. Kelly's solar Light coming out her hands fought against the void Light from the other, each trying to overpower the other. "So tell me, Does he force you into bed with him, or do you just like going down on any alien that asks!?" The Warlock didn't actually know anything about Pekis, and Kelly, but did a bang up job of pissing her off.

"Shut! Your! Mouth!" Angered, Kelly's Light grew stronger, overwhelming her opponent's, breaking through her attack, and hitting her. She felt the burning wrath that Kelly held inside. Her robes burned, hair, and skin singed, unable to let out a word with Kelly's hand over her mouth. "I said, shut your mouth." Her hand lit up.

Pekis broke the lock. He grabbed the Awoken's head, and began smashing his head against the edge of a step. Blood gushed out the back of his skull. The memory of when Aepvis was mercilessly beaten spurred him on. Pekis finished him by lifting his thumbs over his eyes then dug his claws deep into his eye sockets. The Titan screamed in agony, only to be silenced by having his neck snapped. Pulling his claws out, Pekis knew time was of the essence before he was revived. Dragging him by the legs, Pekis walked over to the guard railing. Taking hold with all arms, he chucked the body over, sending it falling down. The titan was revived in mid air just before he landed on a tool bench. The legs shattered under the impact, scaring some nearby workers, and Frames.

Amanda herself bore witness to it. "What the hell!?"

Bitsine finished her Warlock with a good uppercut to the jaw, breaking a few teeth. The back of his head hit the floor hard putting him out of the fight.

Kelly let the other go, third-degree burns covered her face. "Anything else to say?"

In seconds they were healed, the man still unconscious, and the woman on her knees. She looked up to see Kelly staring down at her. Averting her eyes, she kept her head down signaling surrender. Crux let go of the Hunter, and stood up. His face bruised, but still alive. "How do you like that? I just knocked someone out with my fist."

"Congrats. you popped your cherry." Bitsine gave him a pat on the back. "Now you just need to do that to a Hive knight, and we can really talk."

Pekis looked over the rail. His adrenaline still pumped, making him twitchy for more. Something to help work it off. "Calm yourself." He told himself, to little effect. Workers surrounded the fallen Titan, helping him get back on his feet. He was healed by very much sore. Hopefully, they would think twice before starting something again.

"Pekis." a soft-sounding voice addressed him.

Turning around, Pekis felt the sudden need to adjust his codpiece. Standing before him, The Warlock he had grown attached to looked upon him with longing. After the Black Garden, Pekis had become so detached, withdrawn from everyone. She felt the great sadness he carried, and wanted to help, but he wouldn't let her. Now he was here, awake, aware. "Kelly." He spoke wanting to keep at a distance for the time being.

Kelly could tell there was something wrong. She wanted to be let in. "Pekis, please I-"

Pekis' Ghost appeared in front of him. Next thing he knew his Ghost started slamming his body against his chest. "Stupid, stupid, idiot! I told you I can't revive you if you die! And you get into a fight with other Guardians!? What's wrong with you!?"

"Wait, What!? What is he ta-" A shotgun shot stopped her.

Everyone still standing drew a weapon. It seemed someone wanted to escalate things. Following the sound of the shot, They all found the source to be Zavala himself, in front of at least a dozen security Frames, and half a dozen Guardians. He pointed the gun in the air, smoke slowly rising out of the barrel.

Examining the scene, Zavala saw four Guardians on the ground, some minor collator damage, and from what he could hear from the lower level, a soon to be talk with Amanda. "Who the hell is going to pay for this!?"

"Enough, Guardians! What is the meaning of this!?" Zavala used all his authority talking.

Pekis, Kelly, Bitsine, and Crux all looked around at each other, hoping one of them would have something to explain why there are three unconscious Guardians, one on her knees, and one that took a big fall. "Um, well you see..." Crux started. thinking on how to explain when two familiar people called him.

"Crux!" Ellie, and Avez showed up pushing past the squad of Frames, and Guardians.

"Hold there!" Zavala ordered.

"What are you guys doing here?" Crux asked, surprised.

Avez answered, "Soul, sent us a message."

"She did?"

"Of course," Soul said. "You were being attacked by bigoted Guardians. What else was I going to do?"

"You do care." Crux faked a heart-touched tone, making Soul sigh.

Before Zavala could continue his questioning, another familiar voice showed up. "Out of the way! Out of the way!" The Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6 hurriedly pushed through the crowd. When he heard of a brawl breaking out in the Tower, he left his usual post to get in on it under the guise of wanting to help Zavala stop it. What could he say? he was bored. Pushing past Avez, and Ellie, Cayde found a disappointing sight. "Damn it! I miss- I mean good work, Zavala. Guess you didn't need me after all." Cayde tried to maintain a level of professionalism to avoid another lecture from Zavala.

Zavala knew why Cayde was really here, but there were more important things to discuss. Namely a certain Fallen that came back. As well as why a fight broke out minutes after his return. "All of you come with me. We're getting to the bottom of this." He took another look at Pekis.

And Pekis knew what it was going to be about.

_  
Several hours Later, Morning

The next several hours proved quite tiresome in Pekis' opinion. Soon After Zavala's arrival, all nine Guardians involved were rounded up, taken to interview rooms in the security wing. The first thing to figure out was what happened.

Hours were spent interviewing each Guardian individually. Pekis, Crux, Kelly, and Bitsine each told their sides of the story. Feeling they had nothing to hide they all spoke as honestly as they could. The other five not so much. They tried to downplay their part in causing the ruckus, but they didn't have time to get their stories straight. Plenty of the parts contradicted each other. Plus recordings taken from the Ghosts shed light on what happened. For the most part, Crux, and Burning Light got off on self-defense, although since it was another on a list of incidences involving them, they were going to be put on notice. The others well...They weren't going to do time, but their lives weren't going to be easy for a while.

Kelly, Bitsine, and Crux all left together. Pekis had to stay behind for something else, much to Kelly's annoyance. The three of them passed the exit, and were greeted by familiar faces. "Crux." Ellie, and Avez waited for their Hunter the whole time, worried they might become a team member short.

"Hold your applause. I have indeed returned." Crux Joked.

Ellie gave him a punch to the arm. "You had us worried sick, and you're making more stupid jokes."

"I'm glad to see your still the same," Avez said. "How was interrogation?"

Crux leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "No biggy. Just had to tell them of my heroic exploits. Shot a few Fallen, scaled a mountain, knocked a guy out. The usual."

"When have you ever knocked someone out?" Avez inquired.

"Today."

Kelly smiled seeing how happy the three were back together. Bitsine likewise felt the same. Too bad they couldn't have the same thing yet. Still one person short. "Crux, thank you for finding, Pekis. I owe you." Kelly said.

"No, you don't owe me anything. The fun I had is payment enough."

"Speaking of, Pekis, where is he?" Ellie asked, concerned. "He's not in trouble is he?"

"No," Bitsine answered. "Cayde, said that there were things that the Vanguard needed to talk to him about."

Kelly felt another wave of disappointment wash over her. The two of them were finally in the Tower at the same time, and there were elements trying to keep them apart. "Better be good."

"Wait, wait, wait. So you're telling me that you got into a fistfight with two Titans, and overpowered them both with raw strength." Cayde wanted to go over everything Pekis went through, hoping to get some good stories out of him. He could have read the reports taken from him from the interviews, but he wanted to hear them from him firsthand.

Pekis sat at the opposite end of the table they used, two hands on his lap, and the other two on the table, fingers intertwined, and nodded.

"That is totally cool!" Cayde jumped out of his chair. "Your probably the first Hunter in the City's history to do that. People always talk about how Titans are the strength of the City, and you took two down without your Light."

"Boasting of Titans. You don't need to be one, or have Light to be strong. Determination, and willpower is all one needs. I know." Pekis thought back to years ago.

"I bet you do." Cayde sat back down, lean back a resting his feet on the table. "Now as much as I would like to hear more, there something else we got to talk about."

Pekis had an idea about what. "Ask, and I will answer."

"Nice to know your cooperative, but It's not me who's going to be asking. Zavala, and Ikora are going to be here in a few minutes. They said I was too "close" to talk to you myself."

Pekis gave a slight sigh. This meant he would have to do extra waiting, and that was not sitting well with him.

The door opened, revealing the Titan, and Warlock Vanguard. "Hey, your here!" Cayde said.

"Yes, thank you for watching him, Cayde." Ikora said. "We will take it from here." She gestured for him to leave. Zavala did the same.

"Okay, Okay." Cayde stood up. "Don't worry, you got this. Just be honest, don't anything threatening."

"Cayde." Zavala said.

"Zavala, tends to get uppity when it comes to the city's safety. Don't let that spook you."

"Cayde."

"You killed the Heart, you can do this. This is nothing to you."

"Cayde!" Zavala grabbed him by the cloak pulled him out the room.

"Ow, ow." Zavala closed the door in front of him. "Okay, I guess I'll go back to the conference room and do...Vanguard things."

Pekis tapped his fingers on his thighs as he watched the Vanguard in another argument. Ikora took a seat directly across from him, setting a datapad on the table, and bringing her Ghost out to record what transpires. "Let us begin, shall we."

"Very well."

For the next couple of hours, Zavala, and Ikora took turns questioning Pekis. They made sure to cover all the basics the best they could. It was the first time any Guardian had the chance to a high ranking Fallen, or any Fallen for that matter. They usually did live long enough to be captured. Mostly, because the idea of capture never really crosses a Guardian's mind.

Pekis held little reservations. Every question asked, he answered. There was a time when he wouldn't, but that was long ago. Whatever he had in House Kings was gone. He had no attachments. All those that were left were those that would see him dead.

Among the questions asked was who he was. Years ago, Pekis was once one of the highest ranking Barons in the House of Kings. From an early age, he took notice of how things in the House were run under the current Kell of Kings, Peldaks' rule. Dregs suffered because of their low status, treated as nothing more than cannon fodder. Forced to endure ridicule, and barely managing on the scraps of ether. Captains, and Barons treated all below them as beneath their concerns. Only focusing only completing whatever duties they had despite the losses of their subordinates to increase their status in the House.

As he grew older, Peekis knew first hand of the torment lower ranks had to face when he himself suffered the docking ritual that all must go through. The humiliation he experienced truly made him question the way of things. Why must Eliksni be forced into something like that? Why were they going through so much to claim a world they had no right to?

It was during his time as a vandal that he resolved one day to change the ways of the House. The day he lost someone precious to him. After the feeling of grief pass, Peekis found himself Filled with a new sense of determination, and purpose. He strove to become a leader by studying from the archives of the House, reading what they had on the Kells of past, the most influential being the Last Kell of Stone, Chelchis. learning battle tactics among other things from their Archon Priest, Pivraks. In time, Peekis met two confidences he grew to trust with his beliefs, a fellow vandal named Aepvis, and a scribe name Vithras.

Years past, Peekis rose through the ranks with his successes in the field, earning a reputation as one of the youngest Barons to earn their title, and one who cared for those under his command. A rarity that was many missed, and more saw as weakness. Behind the scenes, Peekis, Aepvis, and Vithras, secretly search the House for other like-minded individuals who didn't like Peldaks' rule anymore than they did, and believed that the House's current direction would only lead them to the end of their people. In time, Peekis gained a loyal following. Vithras, and Aepvis, chiefs among them.

Despite the progress made, Peekis knew that his dream couldn't yet be realized. Not while Peldaks was still in power. With their limited numbers, a direct conflict was out of the question. Their only chance was to position their followers in Key locations throughout the House, then in a surprise attack kill Peldaks, and take control, hoping that in time he could get the rest to share his beliefs. Then eventually form a treaty with the Last City.

But before they go through with the plan they were discovered by Peldaks' son, a Captain by the name of Paskin. Peekis had known Paskin for years, and believed he could convince him to join their cause. Paskin tricked him into believing he was on their side, and sold them out by handing intel over to Peldaks. Aware of the plot, Peldaks ordered for Peekis, and all who followed him to be killed, resulting in a complete massacre. Defeated, Peekis, Vithras, and Aepvis were brought before Peldaks who in turn killed them all, securing his position.

Pekis fought back tears by the end of it. Having to bring up so much painful history took it's toll. Ikora sat quietly the whole time, realizing the pain their discussion had caused them. Zavala paced back, and forth, processing everything they just heard. They actually had a high ranking House of Kings baron sitting in the room with them. Not to mention he just told them the identity of the Kell of Kings. Something that no one in the City has ever learned before. "Peldaks." He whispered.

It was not quite enough for Pekis' hearing. "Peldaks." The sadness he felt was replaced by anger. his claws dug into the table leaving marks.

Ikora took notice. "Pekis...or Peekis, if you prefer?"

"Call me whichever you like."

"Then, Pekis, I know that after going through so much you must desire revenge."

"I'm going to make, Peldaks, suffer before I kill him." Pekis said cold, and plainly. "

Zavala stopped his pacing to turn to him. "...Yes, about that. This, Peldaks. We need to know everything you can tell us about him. Where he lives, who his allies are."

"Zavala, I believe he has already told us enough for one session. The information he's given us is us is invaluable." She wasn't kidding. In only a few hours Pekis had given them comm frequencies, outpost locations, access codes.

"Yes, but I should warn you its been years. Some of it might no longer be valid. It's procedure. And the lair has been abandoned Recently. Peldaks knew I would come for him." Pekis told them.

"Yes, that should be expected with any organized power," Zavala said, disappointedly. They had a chance to take out the Leaker of a Fallen House, but it slipped through their fingers. "But in any case, Ikora, has a point. We can continue another time. But before you go, can we count on your loyalty in the future?"

Pekis held out his palm where his Ghost appeared. "Yes?" Pekis stared expecting him to know. "Oh. One moment." He turned to the Vangaurd, "This is going to be disturbing."

Before they could think about it, a flash of light revealed a severed head in the air. Kavgis' half-metallic head hit the table, his eyes turned as black as they could. His mandibles split open leaking out blood. "There's your loyalty. That was Kavgis, the former head of King's Judgement." Pekis stood out of his chair. "Peldaks, sent him to kill me so I killed him."

Zavala, and Ikora, stared at the dead cranium with disgust. But any doubts they had about Pekis were gone now. "Thank you. You may leave now." Pekis walked to the door. "PLEASE, take it with you. We don't need it."

Pekis pick the head up by the hair, and walked out. The two unnerved Vanguard looked at each other, contemplating what just happened. "Well..." Zavala started, "Things are going to get more interesting."

While Pekis' interview was wrapping up, his friends choose to wait for him outside the security wing. Crux, Ellie, and Avez sat on a bench while Crux told them of his most recent exploits in Russia. "So when I got there the whole place looked like it was hit with lighting. Everything was fried. The walls, the floors, the computers, the cupholders, everything."

Kelly, on the other hand, grabbed Bitsine's hand, and pulled her away into a more private area. When she was sure there was no prying eye she asked, "How did you find out?"

"What?"

"You know what." Kelly said not in the mood for games.

Bitsine thought for a minute. "Oh, that! Well, remember back in the Black Garden when we were waiting for that beam of light to open the door. I saw you back up into him, and he wrapped his arms around you. Doesn't take a Warlock to connect the dots." Bitsine answer with a coy Exo smile.

Kelly sat down, rubbing her forehead. "Of course."

Bitsine sat down next to her, patting her on the back in reassurance. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone. If everyone found out you were having sex with an alien you wouldn't get any privacy anymore."

Kelly started to blush. "Thank you, I suppose."

"No problem, and also um." Bitsine started to get fidgety. "I was wondering..."

"What?"

Bitsine was reaching a new level of nervous. "Well um, call me curious, but um, I was kinda wondering if you..." She took an Exo equivalent of a deep breath. "Could tell me what he looks like naked." She finished quickly.

Kelly slapped her for that, hurting her hand in the process. "No. If you want an idea, go the Cosmodrome, and strip a captain down."

"Okay too much to ask for. I got it."

"You better." Kelly stood up, and went back to the waiting area when her Ghost spoke to her.

"Pekis, is leaving the security wing."

On cue, Pekis exited, still holding Kavgis' head in his hand. Everyone who saw it stayed away until he found a nearby garbage chute in the wall. He opened the chute wanting to throw the head away. At first, it got stuck at the opening, but he made it fit.

"Pekis."

He turned around to see Crux, and his friends approaching. "Your still here?"

"Yeah, we wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I am fine, but I can't talk now. There's something I have to do." Pekis politely stepped away.

"Okay, some other time then."

When Pekis put some distance he increased his walking speed. He spent hours stuck in a room, nothing for him to take his pent-up energy out on. But now was the time.

Kelly was walking down the hallway at a fast pace, not wanting to miss Pekis again. Much to her surprise, she saw him coming her way. "Pekis." She stopped wanting to talk to him there, but he grabbed her wrist, and pulled her with him.

"Follow me."

"Wait, Pekis." Pekis didn't listen. He continued his pace heading to the elevator. Stopping, he hit the call button. "Pekis, please talk to me."

"Not yet." the door opened, revealing an empty cab, to his relief. He stepped in, taking Kelly with him, and hit their floor.

Kelly was getting tired of the lack answers. "Pekis!" She stepped in front of him, looking up with an upset face. "Talk to me!"

As Pekis look back down at the Human, he felt his heart race. Her scent filled his snout, making him lose all restraint. He reached behind her, pressing the emergency stop button, halting the elevator.

The cab shook from the stop, catching Kelly off guard. "What are you-" Pekis grabbed her, lifting both her arms over her head, and pinning her to the wall. "What?" the next thing she knew, Pekis was pressing his snout against her neck, taking in long deep breaths of her scent, making a low lust-filled growl. "Oh. Pekis we can't-" Pekis stuck his blue tongue out, making contact with her skin, and started making a trail up her cheek. Kelly started to shiver under his touch. The display of dominance affecting her to her core.

"Pekis, this is a public elevator. We can't-" Kelly gasped as two large hands caressed her rear. Pekis' fingers clawed at the combat material separating their skin from making contact. After this, the Warlock began to fight, trying to pry her arms off the wall. Pekis' gripped tightened, his growling becoming a bit more intense from the challenge. In response he pulled his face away, focusing his gaze directly into her eyes, daring her to continue. Kelly felt herself tremble. Not in fear, in desire.

He hadn't gotten like this since their first time together. Ever since Mars Pekis had been distant, unresponsive, and now before her was a newly revitalized, masculine Pekis. In her mind was a battle. One part of her wanted to give in to him while the other kept pressing that they weren't in the best place to do it. The former won.

Kelly leaned forward, pressing her lips against his mandibles. "What are you waiting for, Big Boy."

That did it. Pekis let go of her, now working on removing the armor that protected him from the open. The first being his codpiece to alleviate some of the pressure he was feeling. Kelly did the same focusing on the rob that covered her body. A few undone latches, and buttons later, it hit the ground turning blue as it was returned to her inventory. Pekis' cloak followed, then his chest armor, then the rest, ending with his pants being pulled down. His hardened cock was exposed with a sudden swing. His lower hand took hold of it, giving him a feeling of freedom, and pride.

The last of Kelly garments vanished, her light-skinned body standing in contrast to Pekis' dark hide. She grabbed his head, closing the gap between them. Pekis began to grope her smooth curves, the tips of his claws leaving behind light red marks. The feeling of his hard rod pressing against her abdomen made her back away, angering him, but soon he was satiated by her hand wrapping around him. "My, my. Can you feel how hard you are? You've been neglecting yourself."

Pekis didn't say anything. His primal side in charge, all that he was aware of was the soft appendage working on him, and was only distracted by the feeling of her fondling his sac.

"Unacceptable. You've been holding it in too long. We need to relieve the pressure."

In response, Pekis turned her around, pushing her torso with one hand so she was bent against the wall as he positioned himself.

Kelly planted her hands firmly on the metal wall, readying herself for the hard Fallen screwing she was becoming accustomed to. The tip of his organ grazed her skin, making her brush against him, encouraging him to continue.

Pekis grabbed her by her shoulders, and one hand on her hip while his used his fourth to guide himself into her. His tip press into her lips, already moist from her arousal.

Kelly's heart beated rapidly in anticipation. In one swift move, he sheathed himself fully inside her. Pekis snarled loudly while Kelly gasped for air. The feeling of his large girth stretching her was like a trip down memory lane. But she didn't have time to remember before he pulled back to the tip, and slammed himself against her.

As Pekis continued the action over, and over again, the last coherent though Kelly had before not caring was, 'What do we do about the smell?'


	31. Chapter 31

One Day Later, MorningNew House of Kings Lair, Unkown Location

In the past some weeks, the House of Kings had gotten comfy in their new home. After, The Sovereign, touched down over their new lair, the Kings worked non-stop to make themselves at home. Barons oversaw the transport of troops, and equipment. In the time they had, the new barracks, and ether production chamber had been established. In addition, the amount of space they had to work with was greater. Before where Fallen captains, and barons might have been forced to share limited space with their underlings, now were able to have their own quarters. Dregs, and Vandals still had to grudgingly share what they had. Until the day when they proved themselves worthy of better.

The power generator was in decent shape for the most part. Golden age power sources were constructed to last. Originally, the generator had some problems starting up, but engineers, and repair shanks fix the problem in no time. The lights inside were shining strong. The Ketch was still transporting supplies to the surface where Eliksni waited to collect, and take them into the fortress.

The baron Paskin, carrying a bag of personal belongings, walked down the corridors of their new lair. Banners of their House had been strung up on the walls. As he walked, Paskin witnessed other barons enter their new personal quarters, happy they were finally getting what they believed they earned after so long, or upset at the current conditions they were in. It had been centuries since the base was last in use, it would take some time to tidy up.

Stopping in front of a vacant room, Paskin opened the door. pressing a button on a control panel, the metal slid apart, revealing an old abandoned room. Hitting the lights, the room was shown to be a complete mess. The furniture was, for the most part, intact, but was incredibly old, and worn out. Trash littered the floor, showing some signs of a struggle. The most obvious evidence was the Human skeleton wearing what seemed to be a uniform, laying against the wall next to a knocked over chair. The clothes themselves had seen better days. Cuts on them indication something a pierced them to kill the one wearing them.

"Pathetic." Paskin walked over to the bed. pressing down on the mattress, it felt comfortable, and sturdy enough to last until he could get a replacement. But first, he would have to send for some dregs to clean up the mess. The air itself was so dusty, he'd be having a coughing fit if not for his ether mask filtering the air. He dropped the bag onto the bed, the contents inside shuffling from the movement as he opened it up to get his personal datapad to send the cleaning request. Rummaging through, he took out some of his things to make room for his hand. Among them a shock sword, pistol, rifle, Spare clothing, and an old camera he found years ago.

He stopped his search to stare at the camera. The one he held onto since he was an adolescent before his docking. setting it aside, he opened a zipper on the side, pulling out some thin sheets from the pocket. Looking at them, each one was shown to be a picture of a moment he captured. For such an old human artifact, the camera worked surprisingly well, provided he could scavage usable film. The first was a picture of a dead devil dreg he killed. His first kill since being sent to battle. The next was of a shipwreck that he visited before when he was younger. The third was the one that hit him hardest.

Paskin set the others aside, and sat down on the bed. It creaked, and shifted under his weight. The picture was the very first he had taken with the camera. The same day he found it. A picture of him as adolescent standing close to two younger Eliksni. None of their arms had yet been docked, nor did they wear any armor for they were considered too young to fight yet. The three of them looked so happy together. Before time took its toll. He recognized himself in the middle as the oldest, and tallest at that time. On his left stood boy who hight met his waist. Paskin felt old feelings of sorrow. It had been so long since his death, but he still missed him. But it brought him some comfort knowing the one responsible was dead as well.

It was the one on the right that brought up conflicting feelings. As Paskin looked at him, his claws dug into the mattress in anger, but he felt regret at the same time. "Why, brother? Why did it have to be this way?"

Paskin was so lost in thought that he did notice that someone was watching him from the doorway. "Enjoying your quarters, son?"

His focus broken, Paskin put the picture aside, and stood up. "Mother?" Standing at the doorway a female Eliskni wear custom lightweight baron armor watched him. She wore no cloak, only having a yellow scarf around her neck. The House Kings insignia on her armor had a single sword pointed down behind it with a pair of wings on either side, indicating she was part of the special operations division. "Why are you here?"

"Do I really need a reason to see my only son?" Bikniks stepped inside, taking a look around at the mess of a room.

"From what I understand, you rarely have time for visits. Does, Father, not have need of you?"

Bikniks stopped in front of the desk, examining the assortment of Human relics that lay on it. "For the time being, I am needed here while we settle. Peldaks, wishes for me to set up a new control center." She picked up a picture frame with an image of a Human male with a small child in his hands. "Tell me, how are you handling your position? I would like to hear it from you."

Paskin sat back down, and sighed. "It has proven difficult, and tiring, but I am well. But I'm am not the same as, Peekis, was."

In anger, Bikniks drop the frame, and turned to him growling. "Do not compare yourself to him! Peekis, is nothing more than a bastard child, and a traitor! I won't hear anymore praises in his name from You!"

Paskin was visibly shaken by the outburst. "Yes, mother."

Seeing she had startled him, Bikniks forced herself to calm down. "Forgive me. I have been under much stress as of late. Setting up a new control center has been tiresome. I did not mean to take it out on you."

Paskin felt relief. "It is fine. You need not worry. I will help anyway I can to stop, Peekis."

"I know you will." Bikniks pulled him off the bed, and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm proud of you. Don't feel any regret. You did what you had to do. Peekis', foolishness would have destroyed us all."

Paskin returned the hug. "Thank you."

As Bikniks let the moment sink in, her gaze saw the picture laying on the bed, and her claws started to dig into his armor.

Paskin broke the hug. "I must go. I have to oversee the transport of weapons." Paskin walked out of the room, leaving his mother behind.

When Bikniks was sure he was gone, she picked up the photo. She smiled seeing her son in the middle. She had forgotten what he used to look like all those years ago, but there were two things she didn't like about it. Bikniks ran her fingers over the two little ones standing next to Paskin. Putting it back on the bed, she walked away, leaving scratch marks on the younger children in the Photo.

Back on, The Sovereign, the air was getting quite tense. Esoliks sat in the medical ward, her head pounding from the concussion she sustained from her last mission while a medical vandal treated her. As bad as it was, it was not the concussion that was her greatest concern.

"Peekis, did THIS!?" Peldaks, and Pivraks, stared down at the cadaver before them.

After the two Hunters left, Esoliks woke up, having survived her encounter with them. Disoriented from the pipe beating she received, she was barely able to wander around to see her dead comrades. But the thing that hit her the most was the sight of her headless superior. Despite her injuries, she was able to drag Kavgis' body back to their Skiff. The two of them had worked together for years. She believed he didn't deserve to be left there.

Kavgis' limbless cyborg body laid before his masters. The scorch marks, and deep cuts were clear signs of a fierce battle. One that did not end well. Peldaks couldn't believe it. All the years of success that Kavgis had accomplished, and this is how it ended. "WHAT HAPPENED!?" Peldaks said to the only survivor.

The medical vandal back away as Peldaks walked closer. Esoliks found herself quivering in fear. "There was another. He helped, Peekis, defeat us."

That was not good enough for Peldaks. He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up to eye level. "That's it!? That shouldn't have made a difference!" Peldaks was boiling with anger. He just lost his best assassin, and there wasn't even a clear explanation how. Reaching behind him, he grabbed his sword, reading it for use. "FAILURE!"

Esoliks closed her eyes expecting certain death. Peldaks thrusted his sword, going for an impalement when a hand stopped him. "Peldaks, no!" Pivraks grabbed his brother by the elbow, stopping the sword from drawing blood. "With, Kavgis, dead, we'll need, Esoliks, to train more, King's Judgement."

Growling, Peldaks look at Pivraks, then back at Esoliks, and continued switching between the two, trying to decide what to do. On one hand, Pivraks was right. Esoliks was the only one left capable to train more assassins. On the other, she failed her most important mission. About a minute passed before Peldaks made a decision. "AHH!" Esoliks was thrown at the exit. "Get out of my sight!"

Esoliks was able to get up with help of the medical vandal. The two of them left not wanting to stick around if Peldaks changed his mind.

"Get out! All of you!" The remaining medical staff did as he said. Pivraks lingered for a few moments. He had seen Peldaks get like this before. It was not good. When Peldaks heard the door close, indicating that Pivraks left, he planted his hands on a table. Contemplating the loss, he took long deep breaths to control his anger. His hands clenched, claws digging into the table. It failed. "AHHH!" He grabbed the table throwing it across the room into some medical equipment. Machinery broke on impact, further thrashing, and yelling was heard by all nearby. Curses were screamed, promises of Peekis' death were made. By the end of it, Peldaks stood in the center of the ruined ward. Equipment smashed with great force, medicine containers shattered. Peldaks growled with hate, his fists so tight his claws drew his own blood, dripping the blue substance to the floor. He tore off his helmet, throwing it at the wall revealing the dark hair he had. "AH! If I knew he would do this, I would have crushed him in my hand the day he was born!"

Peldaks had been so lost in his rage, he failed to notice he was no longer alone. "Finally, the mighty, Peldaks, speaks sense."

That familiar voice broke him out of his rage. His hands let go, blood still seeping out of his palms. His anger dissipated, replaced by severe irritation. "Bikniks," Peldaks growled. Turning around, the memory of an old fling played back in his mind. "What do you want?

Bikniks stepped closer, examining the damage that Peldaks had done. She heard of the fate of Kavgis. The greatest assassin in the House met his end. "I came to see how you are doing. I know you are never one who handles losses well." She walked over to Kavgis' body, seeing the severe damage done to him. "Especially when it comes losses like him. How unfortunate. If you had only listened to me from the beginning, none of this would be happening."

Looking down at the smaller Eliksni, Peldaks felt the old feeling of annoyance come back. "You best get to the point. I'm in no mood."

Bikniks backed away from the body, turning to Peldaks. "All I'm saying is that perhaps you are not the best one to deal with him. So far all your attempts have failed miserably. It'd be best if you let someone more competent take the lead."

"Watch your tone, Bikniks. As useful as you are, you can be replaced."

"I was speaking of, Kavgis. As skilled as he was, he was not capable of planning. All he cared about was the rush he got from battle. It's no wonder he failed. Peekis, was far smarter than he was."

"And you think you can outsmart him? I doubt as much." Peldaks scoffed.

"Of course you do. Because you've done such a remarkable job already. It's a wonder why, Peekis, isn't dead yet." Bikniks smirked.

Peldaks snarled. "If you truly wish to kill him yourself then be my guest. I want him gone. Do you understand?"

"Of course." With that Peldaks took one last look at her, picked his helmet off the floor then left steaming. All the Eliksni around move out of the way, not wanting to get in his way. Bikniks stayed behind while the medical staff slowly return to assess the damage. She contemplated the situation, thinking back years before any of this. "I already got rid of one of them, I'll deal with this one." She soon followed Peldaks example, taking her leave. "And I won't fail a second time."

_ Russia, Felwinter Peak, Vostok Observatory

High up in the mountains of Old Russia, overlooking the vast white, snow-covered landscape, the ancient, rusted Soviet facility was host to the Iron Temple. Its stone architecture carved, and build into the peak. steps led up to the stone pillars held up the entrance. All around, wolves wandered about, having made the temple their home, watching it, guarding it. The doors were opened, the inside exposed to the outside air allowing a light to shin out.

In the center of the Temple, a fire burned. Surrounding it, statues commemorating the fallen Iron Lords. Eight to be exact. Each one built to remember the Lords of Iron. Those who gave everything to stop an ancient plague.

"The time has come once again." The lone sentry picked up a bowl of water. Walking over to the fireplace, he held the bowl in two hands as he poured the water over the flames. Steam floated into the air, the contact of fire, and water sizzled. "My brothers, and sisters, watch over our home in my absence. The Iron Banner demands to test the Light of the newest defenders of the City." Putting the bowl down, Saladin turned around, his cloak waving in the air as he made his way outside. The sun greeted him warmly, shinning off his gold Iron Lord armor. Closing the Temple doors, a wolf came up to him whining in sadness. Looking down, Saladin petted it on the head. "Do not worry old friend. I shall return. Guard our home while I'm gone. The City needs the Iron Banner."

Walking down the Temple steps, his ship waited for him, hovering over the mountain edge. "Let's see what new blood has come to the City's aid."

_ Earth, Last City, Tower

In the Tower, all was, for the most, calm. Aside from the excitement of the return of the Iron Banner. Guardians of all kinds flocked to the Tower, wanting to compete against their fellows, and earn rewards from Lord Saladin. The Courtyard was packed with Guardians new, and old. The Iron Banner had always been popular over the years. No light restrictions, grand weapons, and armor to earn, plus Saladin himself presided over the crucible matches for the week, with Shaxx's help of course.

Despite this, there were those that couldn't participate, either because of prior obligations, or punishment.

In the Vanguard room, Cayde-6 twiddled his fingers as he went of his scout's reports from across the system. After Zavala, and Ikora finished their first interview with Pekis, they set out to confirm if any of the intel he gave them was still good. Pekis told them that after so much time had passed it was probable that most of it wasn't good anymore. Like he said, it was mostly true. Fireteams that were sent to investigate coordinates usually only found traces of the House of King's presence. Left behind banners, weapons, and other miscellaneous items. The few exceptions were hidden caches, and forgotten storage depots. "Another pile of guns."

"Any weapons we keep out of Fallen hands is a small victory, Cayde." Zavala told his Hunter counterpart.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Take whatever we can get, and all that." Cayde sighed. His job was as dull as it usually was, but it was worse lately. With everyone talking about the Iron Banner, Cayde was just reminded that he could enter because of his duty with as the Vanguard. "Wish, Ikora, was here. She'd probably have something cheery to say."

"Her help is needed elsewhere for now." What Zavala was talking about was how Ikora's assistance was needed in the Warlock Libraries.

"I know, but still." Cayde missed the days when he could go out into the wilderness, shoot Fallen, collect loot. The days before Andal Brask got him to take the Vanguard Dare, and winded up replacing him after he lost. Cayde would give anything to just go back out like he use to, even if it was on one of the recent scouting busts. Now he was lucky he all he got a fight breaking out in the Tower, or a chance to stir the pot around... "Oh right! Saladin's coming! I forgot!" Cayde started a slow jog out of the room.

"Cayde, where are you going?" Zavala asked.

Cayde stopped in his tracks. "Don't worry. I'm just gonna go say hi to, Saladin. I'll be back before you know it."

Cayde left, leaving Zavala as the last Vanguard at the table. He rubbed his forehead. Somehow he knew it was going to be more than a hi.

Above Zavala's position, Shaxx, and some of his Red Jacks were putting the last touches on Saladin's usual post. The round bronze metal stand embedded with the Iron Banner symbol stood proudly on the pedestal that That Saladin usually resided during his time at the tower. Taking a step back, Shaxx examined his work. "Excellent. All that's left is to light the sigil." Shaxx ordered his Red Jacks to leave then he followed. He always left lighting the sigil up to Saladin. It was his event after all. And their relationship was never the same after Twilight Gap.

He was about to head back downstairs to ready the organization of the Crucible when Cayde showed up. "Shaxx, Hey, how are you doing?"

Shaxx was surprised by this. Cayde never showed up for Iron Banner for years. "I am well. What are you doing here? Don't tell me Zavala found a replacement for you."

Cayde laughed uncontrollably. "Hahaha, please, Zavala, would never let me be that lucky." He regained his composure, letting out a few remaining outbursts before saying, "No, no, I came to welcome, Saladin, this time around. I got something funny to show him."

"I wouldn't bother. I doubt, Saladin, has the same sense of humor as you." Shaxx walked past him.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure he gonna have a reaction to what I've got." Shaxx left, leaving Cayde to wait patiently, more or less, for Saladin's arrival. "Maya, what time is it?" He asked his Ghost.

"It'll 10 o'clock in a minute."

"Then he should be here right about..." On cue, the sound of roaring ship engines grew louder. "Now." Looking at the sky, Cayde could make out the silhouette of Saladin's jumpship. The closer it got, the more details that could be made out. Bright White, and gold hull paint. "Not really my taste."

The ship slowed down on approach, hovering over the Tower for a few seconds to drop off its occupant, then blasted back to the sky. Saladin's dark skin made contact with the sunlight. Using a hand he covered his eyes until they adjusted to the lighting. When his vision cleared up, his hand moved to reveal the Hunter Vanguard some yards away. "Cayde-6. Of all the Guardians I would have expected to greet me, you are not one of them."

Cayde remembered his deep voice well. "Come on, I'm not that out of the loop. Its been a while, but I can still move."

"Your responsibilities require you to be in one place." Saladin informed him as he walked to his post.

"Shesh, you don't have to remind me. I get enough of that from, Zavala."

"Then, Zavala, is still competent at his job." Saladin examined sigil, seeing it still needed to be lit.

"Well, he might not be as competent as you may think." Cayde snickered.

That caught Saladin's interest. "What do you mean?" He asked taking out his signature flaming battle axe.

Seeing the axe, Cayde resolve to stay a few feet away just in case. "What I mean is that you could say, Zavala, has gotten a bit laxer recently."

"Zavala, Lax?" Saladin chuckled. "Maybe the day a Fallen pirate finds his way to the Light maybe." He readied the axe to light the Sigil.

Cayde was working overtime to control himself. He could wait to see the look on his face when his bubble burst. "Well, maybe you should see this." Cayde held his hand out where his Ghost appeared.

With a mighty swing, Saladin hit the sigil in the center, making a loud gong-like sound. The burning power of the axe spread, engulfing the bronze metal, signifying the start of the Iron Banner. "Make it quick. The Iron Banner has begun."

"Sure thing." Maya floated between the two Guardians, her eye aim directly at the Iron Lord as she projected a holographic screen in front of him.

Saladin watched the screen attentively, seeing it change from static to an image of the Vanguard room. "You are completely out of line!" The sound of Zavala's boomed out the video.

"The hell I am! Pekis put his life on the line for the city, and now you're trying to kick him to the wolves! That's how you repay someone!? By throwing a bucket of accusations without any proof!? With all respect, Fuck you!" With that, Kelly stormed out of the room, Tower workers staying out of the steaming Warlock way.

Zavala wasn't about to let that go just yet. "Stop right there, Kelly! You have no right to speak to the Vanguard in such a manner!"

Kelly turned right back around. Walking past Ikora, who attempted to stop her to no avail, she made her way to Zavala's side of the table. Before he had a chance to reprimand her for her outburst, he met the back side of Kelly's hand. The smack rang throughout the room. Everyone was dead silent. "I wasn't talking to the Vanguard, just you." Giving him one last look, Kelly took her leave, passing Lord Shaxx who had seen the whole event, and never thought he'd see the day.

The video stopped, leaving Saladin dumbfounded at what he saw. "What was that!? What has Zavala been doing in my absence!? Letting such unruly behavior run amok!?" Saladin was not happy, unlike Cayde who expected this reaction. "I need to have a word with him." He summoned his Ghost to contact Shaxx. "Shaxx, the Iron Banner has begun. Take over for me for now. I need to speak with, Zavala." Before Shaxx could say anything, Saladin cut the line, and took off.

"Saladin, wait, that not all!" There was one last earth-shattering piece of information Cayde wanted to disclose himself.

The Iron Lord turned around. "What is it? Are you finally taking your position seriously?"

Cayde held back a laugh. "No, no, its something completely different. Something that you could say will...Blow. Your. Mind."

"Enough banter! Speak." Saladin just wanted to get it over with, and give Zavala a piece of his mind. Unaware of the truth that was about to be told.

"Ok, ok, remember that bit you said about the Fallen?" Cayde started.

In the Courtyard, the sound of metal on metal rang in everyone ears, causing some to cheer in excitement. The first fireteam that had been waiting since sunrise started up the steps. Each of them exclaiming their joy in entering when the voice of the Lord of Iron bellowed in the air. "WHAT!?" A flock of birds flew off in fright, and the Courtyard became silent. Dead silent.

"Maya, take a picture!"

Inside the tower, well out of earshot of Saladin, a couple laid peacefully in their bed. Kelly, still asleep, started to regain consciousness. Her senses returning, she became increasingly aware of her position. Her smooth body stretched across the soft surface of the bed sheets, head resting on the chest of the warm rough mass laying next to her. Letting out a tired moan, Kelly gave her neck a stretch, her face rubbing against the rough texture of Pekis' skin. Her eyes opened slowly, showing she had been using Pekis as a pillow for the last few hours, listening to a content rumbling sound coming from him. 'he's like a cat.'

Kelly's arm was wrapped around him, holding him close while he kept two arms around her torso. Her arm moved, helping her head lift itself up in a drowsy state. Vision still blurry, she rubbed her eyes to get a better look at her lover. Pekis' head laid on its side away from her, Soft snoring sounds coming from his snout. His mandibles misaligned, threatening to become undone, and split open. Kelly giggled, running a hand through her messy hair. After their little escapade in the elevator, they managed to sneak back to their room to continue their reunion which ended up turning into a day-long romp. Thay had spent a good amount of 24 hours rutting together like horny rabbits, taking a few hours of sleep between sessions.

Just thinking about the other day made her want to collapse, but she held steadfastly. Lifting herself up, the blanket dragged down her body exposing more of her skin. At her angle, she continued watching the rise, and fall of his chest, tracing a circle on him with a finger. On closer inspection, she took note of the many scars he had on his person. Kelly had known about them for a while now. She asked him about them before, but he had no memory at the time. The pieces of skin the scars were on was a few shades lighter than the rest of him. The assortment of scars seemed to be made up of bullet wounds, cuts, and a burn mark on his side. But the one that truly stood out, the one always made her shed a tear for him, was the large one in the center of him. The one that extended out his back, making it look like a blade had been run right through him.

A tear dropped, Kelly placed a hand on the scar, tracing her finger around the edges. "What have you been through?"

At that moment, Pekis began to stir. His body twitched, his mandibles split open to let out a yawn before closing them properly again. His eyes flickered, senses kicking in so he could feel the woman with her hand on him. He moved his own, wrapping his fingers around her's. "Good morning." He purred.

"Morning, sleepy. I hope you got a good sleep." Kelly lifted her leg over to straddle him. "You were awfully energetic yesterday."

"I had good motivation." Pekis lifted himself up, pressing his chest against her's. "Are you trying to motivate me now?"

"Oh, no. I'm too tired for that."

"Good, because I don't think it would have worked anyway." Pekis pulled away, gently lifting her off him so he could stretch. "I hope I wasn't too rough with you." He said rubbing her shoulder where there was evidence of scratch marks.

"You know I've had worse." Kelly grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around her to protect herself from the cold. "I glad you are feeling better."

"Yeah, I..." Pekis didn't say anymore. His head slumped, his spirit weakened. The memories of his past came back to haunt him.

Kelly put a hand on his chin, turning him to face her. "Pekis?"

Images of Pekis' life flashed before him again. The sound of Kelly's voice broke him out of it. "I'm sorry." His voice was sad. He pulled away, getting off the bed. "It's just that..." He hesitated, trying to find the words. "Before I had others. Others that depended on me, believed in me, and...and I let them down." He turned his back to her. "I was too naive. I couldn't see what was in front of me."

Kelly's heart sank. This sudden onset of emotion touched her. She got up as well, putting a hand on his back. "Pekis," her other hand wrapped its fingers around one of his, "Whatever you're going through, I here for you."

Kelly's words gave him comfort in the darkness. He looked down, locking his eyes with her's, tightening his hand around her's. "Thank you." Pekis started, "I-"

Before he could continue his Ghost appeared in front of him. "You're getting a call."

On instinct, Pekis pushed Kelly back in the bed behind him, grabbing a pillow to cover his manhood. "Put it through." He said, sitting down irritated.

Kelly wrapped herself up in the blanket once more, anger seething from her being. She was finally making progress with him, and the moment just had to get interrupted. Not to mention the shove he gave her. She smacked him on the head. "Don't do that again!"

Pekis rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, reflex." He turned to his Ghost. "Do you have to pick the worst time?"

"No, but this sounded important." The Ghost expanded his body, completing the connection.

"Pekis?" The voice of Crux-14 came through.

"Crux?"

"Pekis, hey I was just calling to let you know that, Lord Saladin, is in the Tower for the Iron Banner. Me, Ellie, and Avez are going to compete for some sweet Iron Banner loot. Are you in?"

Pekis sat there for a moment. "Um...Who is here for what?" This was too new for him to make an educated answer.

"What!? You never heard of- Hey, what are you doing!? I trying to talk to him. Stop it." It sounded like Crux was in a scuffle with someone else.

A new voice revealed who it was. "Damn it, Crux! I need to tell him something." This time the voice of Ellie Frost came through.

"Oh, hi, Ellie." Kelly was glad to hear from her.

"Hello, Kelly," Ellie responded. "I need to talk to, Pekis."

"About what?" He queried.

"It's about, Lord Saladin. Since you don't know him i'll keep the description brief. He basically the last of an old order of Guardians that were almost wiped out years ago. Now he's in charge of a crucible event that takes place every month, or so to challenge Guardians. He showed up again earlier to start the Iron Banner again when, Cayde, came to talk to him."

"Cayde, went to talk to, Saladin? That must have been interesting." Kelly commented. She had heard of Saladin's reputation. That combined with Cayde personality didn't sound like a good mix.

"You're telling me. In a few minutes, everyone heard, Saladin, yell, "WHAT!?" in the air. After that, he headed for the Vanguard room looking pissed. Cayde, followed him, and..."

"And what?" Pekis didn't think he was gonna like where this was going. Kelly felt the same way, inching closer to him, putting a hand on his arm.

"And...there's been a lot of fighting. I got closer to find out what it was about, and I heard your name being thrown around a lot. I think, Cayde, told him about you."

The room became quiet. Pekis took a deep breath, and let his arms slump. Figures something like this would happen again. "Thanks for telling me. Ghost..." Pekis' Ghost cut the line, leaving the two Guardians to converse in private. "Guess I got another problem to deal with."

"We. We have another problem to deal with. You're not alone in this." Kelly assured him, intertwining her fingers with his.

Pekis like that. "Thank you." He felt a build up of emotion take place inside him. Kelly's touch reminded him that despite what he lost, he found others to fill the void. He only hoped that he would not lose everything again, or forget what he had before. He closed his eyes thinking back. "Vithras."

Kelly heard that. "Who?"

Pekis let go of her hand. "Someone I use to know." He stood up, the pillow covering his crotch hitting the floor as he arched his back for a good stretch. "We should go see what all the fuss is about. Might as well get it out of the way."

Kelly covered her mouth laughing. "Not just yet. We still seem to have a problem to deal with."

"What?" Pekis turned his body, feeling a stiffness attached to him wag slightly through the air. "Oh." Pekis gripped his length in annoyance. "Guess I still have energy to spare."

Kelly giggled. "Well get over here. An old bigoted Guardian can wait, this can't."

Pekis started coming around on his predicament. before he could climb back in bed, Kelly pushed him back. "What?"

"Slow down. I didn't mean that. Too tired. Just stand in front of me."

A smile crept across his face a Kelly began stroking him. He definitely enjoyed the special treatment she could give him. As much as he tended to miss the raw primal savage sex he could get from a female Eliksni, There was not a single one that was physically capable of servicing him like this. Eliksni mouths weren't built for it. Might tear his thing off if they tried, or at least leave some serious cuts.

Kelly pushed his cock up, licking it from the base to the tip. She like the goofy face she made him have when she did this. But see remembered that they had to do something today. "I'll try to make this as fast as I can."

"No, please take your time." He said halfway angry at her suggestion. he put a hand on her head to keep her where she was. "No need to rush."

While that was going on, the situation in the Vanguard room was the opposite of pleasurable. "This is a complete outrage, Zavala! What were you thinking!? Allowing A Fallen inside the Tower!? Inside the City!?" Saladin did not handle the news of Pekis well. It was as though he was going to pop a vein.

Zavala had the displeasure of being the one to try explaining the situation to him. Luckily he had Ikora to help him. Cayde, on the other hand, was too distracted showing a picture to some workers. He figured the two of them were enough to handle it anyway.

"Saladin, please calm down." Zavala started. "I understand where your suspicions are coming from, but you needn't worry. I assure you, Pekis, can be trusted."

"Trusted!? How can you say that after all these years!? Have you forgotten all we've been through!? Perhaps, Cayde, spoke truthfully about you becoming lax!"

"I-" Zavala was about to speak when the last piece of Saladin's words processed. He looked over to Cadye who sharing a picture with some others. "I say so because he has proven to be a valuable asset for the Vanguard."

"It is true, Saladin," Ikora spoke up. "Since he first arrive, Pekis, as dealt cripple blows to our enemies, Including the destruction of Black Garden's heart."

Saladin was taken aback by that. He heard the rumors, but he wasn't sure the Garden existed. "A Fallen was capable of that? Surely you jest."

"No, it's true." Cayde interrupted, getting involved after showing enough people his picture of Saladin's face. "In fact, two days he went off the grid, and came back with another Fallen's head. How's that for loyalty?"

"Off the Grid!? How can we trust him if we can't predict what he'll do!? It's too much of a risk to rely on an asset that we can't get a handle on! You know that, Zavala!" Saladin's mind went back to the day he lost his fellow Iron Lords.

Zavala couldn't deny his logic. The Vanguard had problems before with Rasputin in the past. But Pekis wasn't a Warmind. "Saladin, whatever problems we've had in the past, Pekis, is different. The reason he left the City before was to destroy the leader of the House of Kings."

"The House of Kings!? What business does he have with them?"

"He was one of them, but now he wants revenge on them."

That answer didn't help in Saladin's opinion. There were a lot of Fallen out there that did what they did for the sake of revenge. Many horrible things. The real question was what would he do to get it. Before he could contemplate further, a soft sounding familiar voice caught everyone's attention.

"Calm yourself, Saladin." At the entrance, the Speaker stood.

"Speaker," Saladin said.

"Welcome back to the City. I trust you are well?"

"No. I want to know what madness has a hold on the Tower. To allow a Fallen within the Walls is unthinkable."

"I suspected his presence might cause an issue with you. That is why I came. You have nothing to fear from him, Saladin. He is a warrior of the Light. A redeemed Eliksni."

Saladin heard the Speakers words, but he could not bring himself to believe them. He had spent a good portion of his life battling the foes of the City. Many of the battles he fought were against the Fallen. From Six Fronts to Twighlight Gap, many Fallen had sought his death, and none showed any form of mercy, or reluctance. "And what makes this one different than the rest."

"For starters, he doesn't try to kill us on sight," Cayde said. "And he gouged out a Prime Servitor's eye. And he saved a shard of the Traveler. And he has this sweet double arc sword thing when he uses his bladedancer. And a while back he went to a freaking Hunter party, and won a drinking contest."

"Yes, yes, Thank you, Cayde," Ikora told him. "Saladin, I know you are a person who isn't swayed by words alone, but, Pekis, is on our side. We only ask that you give him a chance."

Saladin thought about it. He knew Ikora well enough to know that her word was something to take into account. Not to mention even the Speaker himself is willing to vouch for the Fallen Guardian. Cayde, well... as unorthodox as he is, he can be a good judge of character at times, even if he might let personal feelings get in the way. Zavala was always one of his most trusted allies. "Very well." Saladin chose to stand down for the time being. "But I do not trust him. If he is as a great warrior as you say, then I wish to see it for myself."

"Thank you, Saladin." The Speaker said. "That is all we ask."

Saladin left to return to his post for the Iron Banner, grumbling to himself.

"Well, that went good, right?" Cayde asked.

"Compared to what could have happened, yes," Zavala replied. "Although next time I highly suggest you allow me, or Ikora to share important news with him."

"Hey, I did call dibs, didn't I."

Ikora went back to her work, relieved that the discussion went as well as it did. As Zavala, and Cayde continued their debate, she realized that it might be best if Saladin, and Pekis got their meeting over with.

In the barracks, Pekis finished redressing himself. He felt refreshed, a weight taken off him until his Ghost put his armor back on him. "Whoa." The sudden change caused him to lose balance for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Kelly asked having finished redressing herself

"I'm fine. Need to get used to wearing clothes again." He answered with a content smile. "Ready?"

"When you are."

The two Guardians left their room with the elevators in mind. Along the way, they overheard some other Guardians talking. "Jeez, did you smell that elevator at the south end? It smells like an animal got stuck in there while the heater was turned on."

"Nah, to me it's like someone screwed in there. Probably, Louie. Dick-hole could never keep it in his pants.

Kelly's face turned a shade redder while Pekis walked calmly to avoid suspicion. At the end, they called an elevator, and quickly made it inside. "At least they don't know it was us," Pekis said.

"Awe, and here I thought the jig was up."

At that moment, Pekis' Ghost appeared again. "I just got a message from, Ikora."

That definitely caught the two by surprise. "What does it say?" Pekis asked first.

"She want's you to meet with, Lord Saladin, as soon as you can. She sent us his location"

"Give use a waypoint, and tell her we are on our way." The Ghost vanished.

At the top of the Tower, Saladin had returned to his post. Guardians of all kinds came to him, ready to prove their worth in the Iron Banner yet again. Saladin took note of how many there was this time around. He was certain it was a new record of attendance. The line to enter extended out to the courtyard which put him in a good mood all things considered.

But despite the Guardians eager to fight, Saladin couldn't shack off the uneasy feeling that had been eating at him since he spoke with Cayde. There was one among them that he had to see for himself. It was still hard for him to truly believe. Even with the Vanguard acknowledging his existence, and the whispers the rest of the Guardians spoke in his presence, it was hard for him to wrap his head around. "A Fallen Guardian." He continued to mumble the idea to himself out loud, and inside his head, even as Guardians approached him.

He did his best to focus on the Iron Banner, but his mind would not rest until he saw the Hunter for himself.

In the Courtyard, The line for the Iron Banner had gotten considerably smaller by the time Pekis, and Kelly arrived. Walking past the vaults, their Ghosts directed them to Saladin's current location when a familiar someone showed up. "Hey!" Running up to them, Bitsine-2 came wearing her armor.

"Bitsine?" Kelly started. "What are you doing here? Don't you still have work to do?"

Before Bitsine said anything, she planted her hands on her knees, panting like she was tired. "My...supervisor gave me...some time off for my hard work." She straightened up. "There was no way I was going to miss the first Iron Banner event that came while I was here."

Pekis was confused. "How are you tired? Your an Exo."

"Maybe because I ran all the way here? I don't know. I just feel tired." Bitsine started to get excited. "So are you guys going to be in the Iron Banner?"

"He might, but I'm not. I'm on suspension. Ikora wanted him to meet with Saladin so they could get the introductions over with." Kelly explained.

"You're on suspension? How did- Oh its, because you fried that guy's balls isn't it."

"What!?" Pekis heart jumped.

"Oh, you didn't hear? You see while you were gone some Titian said something racist about you to, Kelly, and she deep fried his sac with her hand."

Pekis then thought it was in his best to put some distance between himself, and Kelly when she stopped him. "Stop it you. I would never do that to you."

"Not now anyway," Pekis remembered that last time she was furious with him.

Bruning Light reunited, they headed to Saladin together. "So, Kelly, If you can't join the Iron Banner and you don't need to see Saladin, then why are you coming with us?"

The three of them walked up the stairs leading to the Traveler's walk. "In case Saladin..." They turned a corner, noticing the burning sigil with a figure in gold armor, and long brown cape standing in front conversing with another Fireteam. "Tries something."

"The Iron Banner welcomes you. Show your worth to the Lords of Iron, and you will be rewarded."

"Thank you, Lord Saladin." Avez Vum took the entrance medallion from Saladin. "I look forward to the challenge."

"Spoken like a true Titan of the Light."

"Yeah, yeah, Nice titan bonding moment." Crux said focusing his red optics on the Iron Lord. "So, Saladin, what rewards do you have to offer this time around."

Saladin did not like that. "Mind your tongue, Hunter! If you want to be rewarded then you will respect this event, and fight with everything your Light has to offer. Nothing less."

Crux shied away, and was hit on the head by Ellie's helmet. "Please forgive my friend here, Lord Saladin. Crux, is not someone who takes things seriously." Ellie put the helmet back in her inventory, proudly wearing the Iron banner armor she won from past events.

"But I'm sure he will fight hard though," Avez added. "New gear has always been a good motivation for him."

While not the best motivation for Saladin, it did put him at ease to know that Crux would fight hard. Which was the whole point of the Iron Banner. For the most part, it seemed like most of those that wanted to join did. Even so, Saladin always kept the registrations open for the whole first day of the Iron Banner for any last minute entries. The next would be the start of battles. "All that's left is..." On a whim, Saladin checked the entry point of the Traveler's Walk, and saw the one he had been waiting for. "Him."

"Who- Oh crap." Was all Crux could muster before he saw his friend.

Pekis stood at the front of the trio with Kelly, and Bitsine on either side of him. Saladin walked off his pedestal, gesturing Fireteam Hammer Scorch to stand aside. They did just that, switching their gaze back, and forth between the two. The air was tense, quiet. Kelly stood ready for Pekis if a fight broke out, Bitsine, hoping to get new gear from Saladin, prayed nothing would happen.

No one was sure how long it lasted. The two Guardians exchanged looks, unsure if the other could be trusted. For Saladin, he had many memories of the Fallen, none of them good.

Pekis, while not having heard the name before, recognized Saladin from stories he heard during his time in the House of Kings. A golden-plated warrior wielding a flaming axe with a long brown cloak, able to single handily wipe out whole crews of Eliksni. It was said that there use to be more warriors like Saladin before he was born, but one day they vanished much to his people's relief. His people no doubt had the losses they had at their hands coming, but he was still one of them. So what would Saladin do?

"Approach. Let me see you up close." Pekis hesitated. Was it a trap? A trick? Saladin didn't seem the type so he did as he asked. Every step had a great weight to it. The sound of every footstep rang in his ears as the size difference between the two became more obvious. It was very rare for Saladin to see a Fallen's face unmasked. The hair color Pekis had was rare for his kind, but his skin was more common. If his face was anything to go by, Pekis was still fairly young, or simply looks like it given the fact that Guardians are immortal, and do not age. His eyes though, Saladin saw something familiar in them. Eyes that showed experience, determination, anger, and true loss. "So what the Vanguard told me is true. A Fallen walks in the Light." Saladin spoke looking up at the Hunter.

"And what the Kings spoke of is true. There is one last member of your order left." Pekis responded looking back down at the Iron Lord.

"You know of the Iron Lords?" Saladin didn't expect to hear that.

"Not by name. Your armor is familiar to stories I heard when I was a boy. It is said that only one remains."

"Yes." Saladin took a step back. "I am all that remains of the Lords of Iron. My brothers, and sisters have been dead a long time."

Pekis felt something in him after hearing that. Maybe a kindred spirit? Or maybe simple empathy? "I'm sorry to hear that. I know what it's like to be the last."

"But your House still exists."

Pekis got mad. "House Kings is not my House anymore!" He stomped his foot forward threateningly.

Saladin readied himself for an attack. The others got ready to intervene, Kelly placed a hand on his back, hoping to calm him down. "Pekis, it's alright."

Hearing her voice calmed him down. He took a step back, taking a deep breath. "My apologies. Don't ever say that again. I have nothing to do with House Kings anymore."

The situation defused, Saladin lowered his guard. It seemed Pekis was not completely unlike his people. "What is it that angers you so much?"

"Did the Vanguard not tell you my story?"

"I did not give them enough time." Saladin gave him one last look over. "If you are no threat then you may compete in the Iron Banner, and prove your worth to the City, but know this. I do not trust you. Light, or not, If you ever threaten the City..." Saladin called forth his axe, It's flames burning brightly as he slammed the end on the concrete floor. "I will destroy you!"

Pekis did not back down. He stepped forward in challenge. The other Guardians once again prepared themselves "Then don't ever betray me, or my friends, or..." Pekis glowed with arc power, focusing it in his hands to form two arc swords, electricity arcing between the two. "you will know what it means to be my enemy!"

The air was tenser than it ever was. The opposing powers of Light clashed independent of their wielders wills. Two powerful wielders of the Light were threatening to go at it, much to the concerns of Pekis friends. Kelly, and Bitsine both grabbed one of Pekis lower arms, pulling him away from the older Guardian, the electricity covering his body not harming them. Avez got in between the two, pushing Pekis back while, Ellie, and Crux tried to calm Saladin down.

Not soon enough the two stood down, their light dimming giving everyone some piece of mind. Pekis, and Saladin stared at each other for a time, then parted. But before Pekis got too far, "Wait."

"What?" Pekis turned back around in time to catch a medallion in mid-air.

"I said you could compete. Show me what else your Light can do." Saladin returned to his post, waiting vigilantly for any more competitors.

Kelly pulled Pekis back towards the Courtyard with everyone else in tow. Bitsine was the first to say, "HOLY CRAP, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN!"

"I pretty sure it did!" Crux answered.

Kelly smacked him on the head. "You idiot! What were you thinking!?"

"He drew first! I was not going to be pushed around!" Pekis told her.

"And your Light is back to normal!" Pekis' Ghost appeared in front of him. "From my reading your A-okay!"

Pekis was confused for a second, but he remembered. "I forgot about that."

"Forgot about what?" Kelly asked.

"It's a long story." Pekis Ghost said.

While Bitsine was conversing with Crux, and his teammates, Kelly pulled Pekis aside to talk with him in more privately. They found a secluded spot in the shadows. "Pekis, what are you going through? What you said about people believing in you earlier, and when you asked, Saladin, about your story."

Pekis looked away from her. He didn't want to keep secrets from her, but there was so much pain. He felt the warm touch of her hand on his face, pushing him to lock eyes with her. "I... can't. not now." He shut his eyes.

Kelly could feel it had to be something tragic. She just wished he would talk to her. She cupped his chin in her hand, running her other hand through his hair. Liking the action, he lowered his head where she pressed her forehead against his, her nose touching the tip of his snout. They remained there, enjoying the contact as the rumbling in Pekis chest filled their ears.

Even if he could talk yet, he could enjoy the moment now.


	32. Chapter 32

**One Week Later, Afternoon**

 **Crucible, Twilight Gap**

The Crucible, for the past week, had truly been active. The Iron Banner, as always, was a good motivation for Guardians to spend their free time fighting each other. Saladin did the job of announcing the outcome of the matches as he watched the events unfold from the Tower. Currently, his primary focus was a match of Supremacy taking place at a defensive location at Twilight Gap. Supremacy was a relatively new match type that Saladin had come up with that was received with positive results.

Pekis was running along the railing that overlooks the vast amount of land that the artillery guns that once dueled with Fallen Walkers watched over for enemy activity. Occasionally they would fire an artillery shell, possibly in response to detect movement in their range. Behind Pekis, two Guardians were chasing him down the hall. The three of them had just been in a shootout on the outside that had ended with both sides emptying their clips. Before he had a chance to reload, the other two rushed him forcing him to flee.

In the background, sounds of distance gunfire echoed, most likely made from the other competitors in the match. Contemplating what to do, Pekis came up with a plan upon turning a corner. The other two followed close behind, expecting to see him with his back turned to them, or to make a last stand. To their surprise, he was gone. The two Guardians were perplexed. Pekis hadn't been that far ahead to lose them or had been running fast enough. Next thing that happened took them by surprise.

Pekis dropped from the ceiling, landing on the Warlock in the back, and plunging his knife in her neck before their Ghosts could warn them. After turning the corner, Pekis jumped to the wall, latching himself to its surface, then use his natural climbing skills to make his way to the ceiling, and hold on the pipes that ran along it. Pekis' Ghost collected the crest she was carrying as the hunter that was with her became aware.

The Hunter drew his pistol, then had it kicked out of his hand by Pekis before he got a shot off. With no gun, he pulled out his knife for close combat. With a quick jab, he went for Pekis kneck only for him to grab his arm, twisting it before delivering a fierce roundhouse to his side. The Hunter lost his balance, making it easy for Pekis to grab him with all fours, Spinning around to throw him over the railing, sending him plummeting to his death. His screams could be heard on the way down until he was to far away to be heard.

"You really don't mess around in a fight." Pekis Ghost said adding another crest to their collection.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have lived this long." Pekis' voice was somewhere in between angry, and serious. Since he got his memory back, he has gotten more aggressive in battle. More antagonistic, more assertive. In fact, in the past week, he has gotten more knockouts in the Crucible than anyone has in years. Most of them Titans. Because of this, Pekis has tended to become the number one target in the crucible since unconscious Guardians can no longer fight, forcing Shaxx, and Saladin to call the mercy rule more often in favor of whatever team Pekis was on at the time.

With a chance to reload, stayed where he was before moving on. "Impressive Guardian, but the battle still rages on. Keep fighting!" Saladin said. Like Shaxx he always gave words of approval for whoever truly displayed fighting spirit.

It was unknown if such praises had an effect on Pekis, but with the stats he's been getting, it probably didn't matter. His guns loaded, Pekis went on to find the next victim of his ramage. Luckily he didn't have to travel far. Heading to the center of the arena, He jumped up to get a vantage point on a rusted container. switching to his wire rifle, he stared through the scope spotting another pair of enemy Guardians that had one on his team pinned down behind a concrete barricade. Holding his breath, Pekis centered the triple dot sight on the head of the Hunter. He squeezed the trigger, the rifle took a second to charge before an arc shoot flew, striking the Hunter dead center in his temple.

"Impressive shooting," Saladin mention to himself.

The Titan heard the sound of his partner hitting the dirt, forcing him to turn around. "Oh, Shit!" He saw the glare coming from Pekis scope and returned fire. A bullet knick Pekis in the shoulder, but his shields held. He charged another shot when three more hit his abdomen, the impact throwing off his aim. The shot hit the Titan in the chest, breaking his shields but he was still standing to continue his blaze. Pekis situation deteriorated as the Titan drew closer, his accuracy getting better with every step. He ducked, rolling to the side to dodge the continued onslaught. "Got you now!"

The Titan had been so focused on the Fallen, he forgot the Warlock he was trying to kill moments before. The Warlock jumped out of cover, seeing his teammate in trouble, he summoned all his void power for a big explosion. Pekis manage to find a piece of cover, peaking out to see the purple light being created. The Titan was so lost in his believed win that it wasn't until he heard the sound of a Nova Bomb that he remembered something. The bomb detonated vaporizing the target to nothingness.

Pekis shield recharged giving him a brief moment of respite. But this was the Crucible, and it was not over. A Shoulder Charge to his back, knocking him over a nearby ledge, proved that "Hey, there!" Bitsine shouted as she wrapped her arms around his waist to keep herself from losing him.

Yes, one of the main differences about this match was that this time Pekis, and Bitsine were on opposing teams for the first time, much to her delight. She'd always known him to be one of the toughest bastards out there but was never sure where the two of them stood against each other. The final day of the Iron Banner seemed like the perfect time to find out.

Pekis hit the dirt hard, breaking Bitsine's fall at the same time. The separated, rolling away from each other until Pekis reached his arm out, and dug his claws into the ground to stop himself. Bitsine stopped after hitting a concrete wall with a loud thump. The two of them were quick to get on their feet, giving each other some serious looks behind their helmets. They were always friends, but in the Crucible they would give it their all.

"Bitsine." Pekis stood firm against his teammate, even as she came at him with the intent to beat him to a pulp.

"Come on!" Bitsine ran up to him, fists sparking with arc power. She started off with a right hook, followed by a series of follow up punches.

With a few close calls, Pekis managed to block, or avoid all of them. When an opening presented itself, he retaliated with his own fist going straight for her head. Seeing it coming, Bitsine leaned back, avoiding it by a hair then went on to give him a gut punch. Pekis flinched at the impact, giving out a groan to tell it worked. That was not the end, however, because she continued her assault on his person ending with a blow to his face. His face mask protected his mandibles, but he still felt them shift out of place.

Pissed, he grabbed the next fist she threw, pulling her towards him for some much-needed revenge. Bitsine had to admit, he knew out to hit especially when he uses four arms to attack. It was like getting hit with a volley of bullets, he was so fast. He grabbed her head, pulling it down to meet the tip of his knee, putting a dent in her helmet.

That was the last straw for Bitsine. She really didn't want to do this to Pekis but felt he was asking for it. When she managed to recover from her stupor, she ducked to avoid his incoming upper arms and used her own to keep his lower arms at bay. Seizing the opportunity, she did what her mind was telling her to do. Pekis was about to pull her back up for more when he was stopped by a very strong pain in his groin. Bitsine dug her fist deep in his crotch, feeling his genitals squish in response. "This is for kneeing me in the face!"

Pekis was in too much pain to say anything besides a whimper. Saladin himself raised a brow at the sight. In all his years, he'd never see that happen in the Crucible. Or even happen to a Fallen. He didn't even think they had anything there worth hitting.

Bitsine took her hand off him, giving him only a bit of relief. He back away, covering himself in pain. Bitsine got back up, taking advantage of the situation she charged, tackling him off the ground and ramming him into a wall. the vibration of kinetic energy made his pain worse, making him more vulnerable for the assault Bitsine unleashed on his head. She slammed his head against the wall, delivering punch after punch to his face.

Pekis' Ghost worked overtime to heal the damage, unable to do much else. Pekis had to endure the beat for the time being. When the pain stopped, he sprung into action. He leaned to the side causing Bitsine to hit the wall instead. With bits of stone flying in the air, Pekis swept her legs, grabbing her as she fell over, and throwing her into a stack of crates. The crates buried her but didn't last long before she broke free of her predicament.

The two were back on their feet, ready to pounce on each other once more. Bitsine charge first, her entire body empowered by her arc Light. She leaped, pointing her fist down for a nice explosion. Seeing the threat, Pekis activated his own power, vanishing out of sight in the nick of time. "Oh, crap!" Bitsine looked everywhere for Pekis, trying to find where he had gone when she should have been looking up.

In the air, Pekis spun arc swords in hand as gravity brought him back down. Bitsine looked up in time to avoid getting sliced right through. She jumped back right as Pekis impaled the ground with his light, but that was not the end. Both were still charged up. While Bitsine may have had armor, and stopping power, Pekis had speed and teleportation. Plus Light made swords that could cut through a lot.

Bitsine readied herself, knowing how dangerous he was in this state. Pekis wanted to prove her right. He vanished is a flash of light, reappearing right behind her. "Shit!" Bitsine jumped narrowly missing his attack. Seeing a chance she brought her fists down, sending out a shockwave of arc Light with Pekis in range.

Pekis was blown away, but still alive thanks to his Light giving him protection. His back hit a wall, raising his swords he blocked an incoming punch from Bitsine. The two powers clashed violently, sparking uncontrollably until they canceled out, reverting the Guardians to normal. Still fight left in him, Pekis kick her away, picking up a nearby crate, and smashing it over her head.

Stunned but not out, Bitsine shook it off wanting payback. "You hit me with a box!" She tackled him against the wall, dishing out some serious punishment. "You! Are! A! Dick!"

Pekis managed to push her off. The two of them were worn out but were going to see it through. They closed in again, fists raised they were going to end it. They threw their arms, sending them flying side by side, and into each other's faces.

That was it. The two of them fell backward, hitting the floor hard. Neither of them moved. Their eyes were shut, no response coming from either of them.

As Saladin watched the event unfold he couldn't help but smile.

 **Several Hours later, Sundown**

 **The Last City, Tower**

The past week had truly been eventful with the Iron Banner. But all good things must come to an end. As the week ended, Guardians return to Lord Saladin to collect their rewards before his departure. But not all were going to.

Due to her suspension, Kelly was unable to take part in the Iron Banner. With her friends gone most of the time, and prohibited from going on missions, she decided to spend the week in the Warlock Libraries to help decrypt the mind cores they brought back. It was still a tiresome task, but progress was being made. "Come one we're so close." Kelly sat in her chair, typing away at the holographic keyboard.

On both sides of her, other Warlocks worked with her. "It shouldn't be long now." one of them said.

"He's right." Kelly's Ghost told her, working tirelessly on cracking the algorithms. "If we just keep at it we will break through."

"You better be right." They continue working together, putting all their combined knowledge into it until, "Finally, we broke through the decryption," Kelly said with relief.

"Its about time too." Her Ghost said. "After all the work we've put into it. Maybe this will shorten the suspension you got us into."

"Hey, That guy deserved it. Now, would you please upload the data into the archives. We need to start going over this information if we want to find out what the Vex were doing in the Black Garden."

"Done. The Vanguard are definitely going to appreciate this special gift." On request, Kelly's Ghost began uploading all the data in the cracked mind cores into the Tower's computers. What made this one so special was that is was the mind core of the Divisive Mind. The Vex mind that met its end in the Black Guardian.

Already Warlocks were at their computers, going over the new data at their fingertips. Kelly was receiving much praise for her help. With the first one down, the rest would be much easier to deal with.

Elsewhere, as the golden sun set on the horizon, Pekis and Bitsine were leaving the barracks. "Damn it, how long were we out?"

"A few hours." Bitsine's Ghost answered.

After the two Guardians dished it out in the Crucible, they showed no signs of recovering quickly so some of Shaxx's Red Jacks had to take their unconscious bodies back to the Tower. They woke up in their respective rooms. At first, Pekis thought he was busted with his relationship with Kelly. It was only after he saw that he never pushed the beds together again that his heart settled down.

After leaving his room, Pekis made his way to the elevator where it opened up to reveal Bitsine already heading up. The way up was quiet. The two of them had done things to the other that made the match less than friendly. Neither of them were willing to start the apologizes. They only gave each other quick glances, turning away as soon as they thought about what they did.

They walked along the courtyard, hearing the sounds of other Guardians celebrating their new rewards. "Guess some people got what they wanted." Pekis' Ghost said hoping to break the ice. It didn't do much. "Come on. No exclamations of kicking ass? No promises of being the one who win next time?"

"Yeah, Bitsine." Bitsine's Ghost started, "where's your usual energy?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's in that box Pekis hit me with."

Pekis scoffed in response. She was actually suggesting he was the only one who had any fault. "How are you going to blame me?" Pekis stopped in his tracks. "You were trying to kill. I needed to get you off."

Bitsine stepped right in front of him, poking his chest with a finger. "You didn't see me hitting you with a blunt object. That was just uncalled for."

Pekis' eye twitched. "Neither was punching me in the groin, but that didn't seem to stop you!" He swatted her hand away, taking a step forward.

Bitsine didn't stand down. "Because you put a big dent in my helmet! It's cramped enough without the inside being smashed against my face!"

The two Guardians stood in each other's faces. Their frustrations steamed off them. They wanted to express them in the best way they knew How.

"Hey, guys!" But that wasn't going to happen. Crux, Ellie, and Avez approached the conflicting duo. Crux who was in front was proudly waving his new Gheleon's Demise Scout rifle. "Check out the new toys Saladin gave us."

Bitsine, seeing the piece of hardware, broke off contact with Pekis. "Sweet! Please tell me he has a lot of good stuff." She pressed her hands together as if begging.

"Yes." Avez showed of his Jolder's Hammer machine gun. "Saladin always comes prepared."

"Yes! Out of the way." Bitsine brushed past them, pushing Ellie to the side. She almost fell over, but Pekis and Avez managed to catch her.

"Sorry about that." Pekis apologized. "Bitsine can get overexcited when it comes to new gear."

"Don't worry, we're used to it," Ellie explained. "When Saladin came to the tower, Crux practically dragged us to enter."

"Hey! I wasn't going to risk missing a day of the Iron banner." Crux defended.

"We would have had plenty of time, Crux." Avez countered. "You didn't need to get pushy." Avez gave Crux a thump on the head.

"Hey!" Crux returned the thump with a jab to his chest. This then turned into a small fight with the two Guardians shoving each other back, and forth.

Pekis chuckled at the sight, but Ellie got in between the two to break it up. "That's enough!" Her voice was filled with seriousness. Crux and Avez wisely did as she said. They knew better than to risk pissing her off just as Pekis knew as much with Kelly.

Thinking of her made him come up with a question. "So, Ellie, how has Kelly been doing? I know she couldn't join the Iron Banner, so what has she been doing?"

When she was sure Crux, and Avez had settled down, Ellie turned to Pekis. "She's fine. She went back to work in the Libraries until her suspension is over. She's been helping decipher the mind cores you guys brought back."

Pekis was glad to hear that. He was afraid that being stuck in the Tower all day might bore her out of her mind, but it seemed that she had things to do. "That good to hear. How has the deciphering been going?"

Ellie made a smile. "Great. Thanks to her, we manage to decrypt one of the cores. We've been getting a lot of new data on the Vex Collective, and we still have a dozen more cores to go."

Pekis cracked a smile as well. It seemed that their journey into the Black Garden was bearing fruit after all. They spent so much time looking for it, and now it was paying off. At least for others, but for Pekis... He tried not to let it get him down again, but it was always in the back of his mind. "That's good. Did you get anything useful out of it?"

Hammer Scorch could feel the aura around Pekis darken for a moment. "Well we're still going over all the data we've recovered so far, but from what we can tell so far, the Vex weren't born in the Garden like a lot of people think. They found it long ago, and it has been "Growing into tomorrow, and yesterday."

"Whoa, brain hurt." Crux said rubbing his head. "You ever wonder why the Vex don't just give simple explanations."

"Then they wouldn't be Vex," Avez answered.

"Anyway, when they found the Black Garden, they also found the Heart. They ran test after test trying to figure out what it was, but they came up with nothing. Despite all their knowledge, it had them stumped."

The gears in Pekis' head started turning. He knew the Heart was something completely different from the Vex, but he didn't think it was beyond their comprehension. Thinking back to their mission, Pekis remembered the Vex that were before the Heart. On their knees, arms held out like you might expect from fanatics. "Ellie, when we went into the Garden, we saw some of the Vex in praying stances. If they couldn't understand the Heart then what were they doing?"

"The Vex praying?" Crux was really getting confused. "I didn't know they believed in gods."

Ellie was confused as well. She never heard of the Vex doing something like that. For an advanced, timeless race like the Vex to resort to such an unorthodox method was strange indeed. Their main goal was to become a virus in the laws of reality. In order to accomplish this would require a great deal of power, and understanding of paracausality. So why would they choose worship?

Thinking of it, Ellie thoughts turned to the Hive. They drew power from tribute, destruction, and the Darkness itself, but did they truly understand what the Darkness was? Could any of them accurately describe the Darkness? And yet their worship continued to make them stronger. "Maybe...maybe it's because out of all the methods they tried, worship had the best payoff."

"The best payoff?" Crux wasn't sure how much more he could take. "Hey, Pekis is that why your people worship Servitors?"

Pekis thought about it. His own people worshiped Servitors because they supplied them with ether to make them stronger. But did they even care? Pekis never believed in the worship of Servitors. To him it was idiotic. "Foolish."

Avez was surprised to hear that from a Fallen. "Foolish? You don't believe in that?"

"Servitors were built by engineers to keep our people from suffocating. They weren't born from cosmic power. They care for nothing except their core programming. Men should not pray to soulless machines."

"Whatever the case," Ellie continued, "There is still a lot of data we haven't read yet. We'll know more later on."

"Good," Crux started, "cause I just got a replacement scout rifle, and I'm going to test it out on some Vex. Maybe that will teach us something." Crux took off in a sprint to do some hunting on Venus.

Avez had to leave as well. "I must go too. The Vanguard has placed me on perimeter duty around the City. I will be unavailable for a few days."

"That's fine," Ellie told him. "I'm going to read over some data pads in my room, then tomorrow I'm going back to the Libraries."

"And I must see Saladin before he leaves." The three remaining Guardians split up to go about their business.

As Pekis walked, he felt old feeling come back up. He had not spoken to Saladin since the start of the Iron Banner. He hoped that it would not turn out as it did the first time. They left on somewhat friendly terms, but there was still tension between them.

"Wait, Pekis." Pekis turned around to see Ellie coming back. "I forgot. There something else you should know. The data that the Vex were gathering in the Garden, They weren't just storing it. They were sending it somewhere else."

That did not sound good. "Sending it where?"

"We don't know yet, but it was for something the Vex call, PROJECT."

If that didn't sound ominous, Pekis didn't know what did. The Vex didn't gather data for the hell of it. They had a plan. "Thank you."

Ellie nodded and turned back around. Pekis continued his pace with new troubles on his mind. It was clear that the Vex threat did not end with the Black Garden, and now it seemed that they could very have a backup plan. He remembered the talk he had with the Stranger. She said she'd seen "Terrible things born out in the Darkness."

"Our fight is far from over." Pekis mussed to himself.

"You have done well this past week. You have earned your reward." Saladin handed Bitsine a Perun's Fire fusion rifle. "Take this, and use it to send the Darkness a message. We are still standing."

Bitsine took the weapon with glee. Her fingers traced the barrel's length as she looked over her new fusion rifle. The color, the weight, the build, it was all good. "Yes! Thank you! The first hive I see, I'm shoving the barrel down its throat before pulling the trigger."

Saladin made a deep chuckle after hearing that. It gave him relief to met Guardians with such passion for battle. As much as he cared for the City, he could not be around all the time for it. Not when he had prior obligations to oversee. The Iron Banner was the best he could do for the moment.

His thoughts turned back to his lost brothers, and sisters. They had given so much for Humanity, but they could not live long enough to see how far they have gone since the Dark Age. 'Jolder, if only you could see these new warriors.' That reminded him of another he met.

Bitsine was about to fire off a test round when she saw someone. "Hey, Pekis, check out what I got!"

Saladin turned his head. 'Speak of the devil.'

Pekis walked just as he had before, a little less heavy of step, but still tense. Bitsine held her weapon over her head to show it off to him. "I'd like to see you come at me when I have this."

In response, Pekis took out his Stranger's Rifle. "Assuming you can get close enough to use it."

"Save it for the Crucible," Saladin told the two. He stepped down off his post to talk to Pekis face to face. The air between them was silent. Even Bitsine was quiet, switching her gaze between the two. Saladin turned to Bitsine, nudging his head to the Courtyard.

"Oh..." Bitsine slowly started to stroll away from the scene. "Okay, I guess out. You two have a nice chat." She continued to look at them while walking backward. "Play nice. don't kill each other."

Bitsine's image grew small with every step until she was finally out of view. "You friend is different than most other Titans." Saladin pointed out.

Pekis chuckled. "Yes, she is. Don't let that fool you. She is not an opponent to take lightly."

"I will take your word for it." The sun finished setting on the horizon, leaving a blackened sky overhead. The burning sigil of the Iron banner and a few lights were all that illuminated the Traveler's Walk. Saladin turned around, heading for the edge revealing the mass mountain lands that laid just beyond the City's walls. "Come."

That caught Pekis by surprise. What was he up to? Surely it wasn't to try throwing him over the edge. 'I'm being paranoid.' Pekis followed, keeping his guard up just in case.

The Iron Lord and the Fallen Hunter now stood side by side, taking in the view of the land that was lit under the moonlight. The serenity of the moment gave them a chance to reflect on the past.

Pekis spent the majority of his life trying to bring his people out of the dark. From a young age, he saw all the wrongs they wrought on this world, each other, themselves. He strove to become a leader that could be looked up to instead of feared. In time he found others that believed in him, a mate would follow him to the end, and a chance to be something Peldaks never truly was. And it all came crashing down. 'I was too naive.' Now the young baron that was driven by the dream of returning his people to the light was gone, reborn as a vessel for the downfall of the Fallen kells, Hive gods, and all other tyrants, and monstrosities that only sought conquest.

Saladin had seen many battles in his day. From the day of his resurrection, every day presented a new fight. Most of them against the Fallen Houses. He had seen them tear apart the ruins of the Golden Age for tech, mercilessly slaughter any human unlucky to cross paths with them, relentlessly assault the city since the days it was just a collection of wooden huts gathered under the Traveler. In all that time there had been no indication of redemption for them. Now he was standing next to one with no weapon in hand. The first of his kind forged in Light. "These are strange times."

"I suppose they are." Pekis had his lower hands on the rail and his upper behind his back.

Saladin looked at him. Pekis' face was stoic. He had watched him closely this week, Both out of suspicion, and interest. "You truly are strong in the Light. In all my years of hosting the Iron Banner, very few stand out as much as you do."

Pekis didn't expect that. "...Thank you. From the stories I've heard of your order, you were not a force to be trifled with."

"Yes..." Hearing that made Saladin remember the day the Iron Lords were lost. "Fearless, righteous, we were humanity's greatest warriors." He made a long sigh. "Now I am all that remains."

Pekis couldn't help but relate. To be the last one left was not a pleasant fate. The loss, the pain, It was only because of the new friendships that he had chosen to stay alive instead of joining his fallen comrades. Now that he thought about it, if he still had his memories when he was first brought back, he would have only wanted to die again.

"The Vanguard told me about you. Your story. What you tried to accomplish." Saladin leaned forward, gripping the rail. "I am sorry. Your intentions were noble, but it seems this, Peldaks had more loyalty from the House than you did."

Pekis growled. "Yes, he did. And he still does."

"Don't let that stop you. In the Dark Age, the Iron Lords face many defeats whether it was at the hands of the Fallen, or the corrupt warlords that misuse their own Light. But we rose above them for the sake of giving humanity back its future. You may have been beaten, but you are still here. Let the memory of your lost brothers, and sisters in arms be your drive in your battle against the Darkness."

"Does this mean you trust me?"

"No. But you have my respect, Guardian." Saladin Back away from the edge. "Come." He walked back to his post with Pekis following behind. Standing on top, Saladin transmatted a crate with the Iron Lords symbol. "I may not trust you, but you have proven your worth as a Guardian of the Light." Kneeling down, Saladin pulled out a sniper rifle. "You've earned this reward." Turning back to Pekis, he held out the weapon.

Pekis accepted the gift, holding it in two hands as he examined it. The Efrideet's Spear he now had showed signs of modifications. The scope and stock had been adjusted to better suit a Fallen shooter. Pekis took aim, peering through the scope that had double lenses like a wire rifle scope. He cocked the gun. "Custom work. Thank you."

"That rifle once belonged to Lady Efrideet. She was one of the Iron Lords finest sharpshooters. Carry that weapon with pride."

That name rung a bell, but Pekis couldn't remember where he heard it before. "I will."

"And now I must take my leave." Saladin stepped down from his post. The Iron Banner was over for now. He took out his battle axe, causing pekis to back away, keeping his finger next to his gun's trigger just in case. The flames that would normally be enveloping the metal of the axe were gone, at least until he held it out to the burning sigil. To Pekis' amazement, the flames actually floated through the air, being absorbed into the axe, reigniting its power once more. "The Iron Banner may end this day, but my watch is eternal." The axe vanished in his hand.

"Watch?"

"A duty that fell upon me the day the Iron Lords fell. I must return to the Iron Temple. I will return when the Iron Banner calls again. Until then I leave the City's defense in the Vanguard's hands." Saladin called his ship and sent a message to Shaxx that he was leaving again. He turned to Pekis. "Remember, Guardian. The Heart might be dead, but it is not the end of the Darkness. It has many pawns on its side. You must be ready for anything."

Pekis grabbed the rifle by the barrel, planting the stock on the floor before nodding in understanding.

Saladin returned the nod. The sound of his ship's engine roared, growing louder every second. "Light be with you." The ship zoomed overhead, picking up Saladin in a flash of light before turning around, and blasting off into the night sky, leaving the Hunter to think about things.

"Well... that was something." Pekis' Ghost said.

"Hmm... Yes, it was." Pekis put the Efrideet's Spear in his inventory. He stared into the night sky, lost in thought. The Darkness did have more minions. As dangerous as the Heart was, it was only the beginning. There was more to do, More monsters to fight, and Peldaks was still out there, plotting, planning just as he always has. "I will find you old man. You can't hide forever."

"I'm guessing your talking about, Peldaks. You really got him on the brain."

"You were not there. You don't know what I've been through."

"I know, I know, but you not alone anymore. You don't have to fight alone."

"...I know." Pekis appreciated that. His Ghost had always been a good friend. He revived him even when he knew Pekis was a Fallen and stood up for him when they first arrive in the City. Just like someone else he knew. "We still have work to do, Aepvis. We must be ready."

"Aepvis?"

"That is your name, is it not?" Pekis started the walk back to the Courtyard.

"...I guess so." Aepvis mussed to himself. "And how will we be ready?"

"We start by learning. Warlocks have their Libraries, we..." Pekis took out the book he had been reading for some time. "have this." The Hunter had never finished reading Pahanin's Errata. There had been so much going on in the past few weeks he never got around to it. But now there was time.

"I don't think a book from a dead Hunter is going to prepare us for everything."

"No, but its a start." If Pekis remembered correctly, the last part he read went deeper into Pahanin's encounters with the Vex. With everything they had been uncovering, perhaps this would have something relevant. "What did you learn?"

 **60 Years Ago, The Year 3654**

 **Venus, Ishtar Sink, Waking Ruins**

The Vex ruins dug into the ground laid undisturbed. For millions of years, the radiolaria that formed them waited patiently, fulling its purpose for the rest of the Vex Collective. On the surface, they appeared to be individual constructs, each seemingly unimportant on its own. But they ran so much deeper. They were all connected. Together they were a network of Vex tech, put together in a way fulfilled a purpose.

With the power of the Vex and the infinite knowledge of time that they accumulated from all timelines that they existed in, a realm was born. A focal point for the Vex's plan to become lords of all existence. At its center, a glass throne was created. Formed from the sands of time that had been hardened under the fire of the Vex.

In the Vault of Glass, time bends to the will of the Vex. In their realm, they can determine what is, and what is not. If something is found wanting in the perfect Vex future it is kept, but if not, it is erased from time. Legends of its nature have lured countless Guardians over the years. Many went inside, faced its horrors, and learned its truths, only to be cut away by the pattern. Lost to time, never to be seen, or remembered by anyone again.

Until one day, someone broke the endless cycle of Guardians ever escaping.

The blades of grass that had not yet been converted bent freely under the breeze of wind. The sounds of Venus' ocean crashing against the rocks continued on like nothing could ever stop it. But every once in a while, these sounds were drowned out by something else.

Gears turned, locks were undone. The massive doorway leading into the Vex realm opened. the panels that it made up the spun like a clock, the framing behind them retracted allowing only one to escape. A lone figure dashed out of the Vault, his cape torn, armor damaged. His legs were tired but he didn't stop. What had gone on in that realm was beyond anything he could have expected. He tripped, falling face first into the dirt.

He laid there broken, even as the door locked itself behind him. The sound of it shutting gave him more relief than anything else ever had. It meant he had done it. He would not be erased.

"Pahanin, we can't just abandon them!" A Ghost materialized over the fallen Hunter. Like him, the Ghost was grateful to be out of there. But they did not go alone. There were others that went with them. Others that were still inside.

"There's nothing we can do!" Pahanin lifted himself up, standing on his knees as he ripped his helmet off, throwing it away. "They're gone! Don't you get it!? The Vex have them now! If we go back they'll get us too!" The events that Pahanin went through flashed back before his eyes. They faced the most power axis mind they ever came across and failed. It's shields too strong for even their Light to break. It's control over reality too great to overcome. "They're gone..."

Pahanin's mind fell into depression. Before he was eager to travel into the Vault, battle some Vex, and write some new exploits into his errata. Now all he had was guilt and sadness. His fireteam was gone. Praedyth was there begging for help, but Pahanin turned his back and ran for his life. Kabr had gone mad, His mind warped by his exposer to Vex tech. He had gone so far as to craft armor from Vex bodies that would fuse with him.

But something else ate away at him. It was not the memories of the endless legions of Vex that the Templar sent to destroy them, but more like it was the memories that he didn't have. Memories that he should have, but no longer.

Something didn't add up. Was it really just the three of them? It didn't make sense. They wouldn't go into such a fortress with so few numbers or even be able to get inside with anything less than six to open the door. So how did they get inside? He remembered Kabr talking about the vault, the power that the Vex possed in it. He remembered the yellow stars that sang, and judged their fate in time. Was that what happened? Were the others judged? Could they really have been erased from existence?

"I don't want to be erased. I don't want to be alone. I want to be remembered." Pahanin would leave, and never return. The events that took place in that timeless vault would be taken to his grave. Except for one book. Pahanin's Errata had not been completed yet. He planned to make the last chapter about his magnificent victory in the Vault, but that was no longer an option. There were others that came before them, never to escape. And even if he survived, there would be others that would come after. Foolish enough to try, and fight the terrible creatures that lurked in its darkness.

It was a suicide mission. There was no way anyone could defeat the Vex. He and his friends tried, but they were no match. Nothing can break the Templar's shields, or escape its judgment. He did, but that was a fluke. Or maybe... "NO! It's hopeless" He tried to convince himself, but he remembered something Praedyth said to him. Something Praedyth heard from a friend. 'There's always room in the back of the mind for hope. It's the crack that lets the light in.'

Those words replayed over, and over in his head until they made the crack. 'It's not over yet.' Pahanin realized. He failed, but that did not mean all was lost. The future was still there. New Guardians would rise to the challenge, impossible, or not. They would try. He could not stop them, but maybe there was a way to warn them of the evil that stirred beneath Venus.

'Maybe they can make their own fate.'


	33. Chapter 33

**Three Days Later, Afternoon**

 **Earth, Last City, Ramen Shop**

"I'm telling you, there's no way he's not up to something." In the City, two coworkers were eating together. They'd just got off their shift and decided to eat together at a local ramen shop before going home. They sat together at a window booth, crowds of people walking past while the sky was overcast. Their orders came a while ago. Half of it was already eaten with the rest following suit at the same pace. That was until the next customer came through the door.

"Just leave it alone." The awoken member of the pair responded. "If he wanted to hurt people he would have done it by now." For the past ten minutes, they had been less focused on eating their food, and more focused on the Guardian that had taken a seat several tables away. The immediate tables around him were, for the most part, empty aside from a few loner customers that turned away from their food every now, and again to get a few curious looks at him.

The waitress approached him, clearly nervous to be near him. After a moment of pause, the Guardian gave his order while doing his best to avoid spooking her. After being left alone he took out a book, setting it on the table while he waited for his food.

"Oh come on. Do you really believe that? Look at him. Sitting down, reading a book? He probably doesn't even know how to read. His kind probably never even heard of a school system."

"Will you shut up!" The awoken said, not trying to draw attention. "Do you want him to hear you?"

"Please, he can't hear me from over there." The human craned his head to see the Guardian with his face down in the book, his clawed finger tapping the table as he used his other to turn the page. "See." He went back to eating his ramen. His friend did the same as the waitress returned carrying a tray. "Excuse me, can I get a glass of water."

"Certainly." The waitress said continuing her path to the Guardian. The two workers watch as he took notice of the Human female approaching with his food, and set his book aside to make space. The food consisted of a bowl of ramen with a side order of chicken with dipping sauce. The Guardian thanked her, but before she left he asked her for one last thing. They were too far away for the workers to make out what it was. Giving him a nod, she turned away heading behind the counter.

Swallowing another mouth fuel of noddles, the human turned to his friend. "You know one thing I don't get is how they can tell each other apart. I've seen pictures, and they all look the same to me." The Awoken didn't say anything. He didn't like the idea of getting further involved in the conversation given the present circumstances. "I guess they could smell each other, but from what I've heard about them that probably make them throw up. Jeez, I can only imagine what their kids look like. Can you imagine a handful of the little basters coming at you."

The waitress returned holding two glasses of water. "Here you go." She placed one of them on the table, then move to the Guardian's table setting the second next to his tray. Giving her a thank you, he returned to eating his meal, not bothering to look at the glass.

"I wonder what their women look like? I hope its not like looking in a mirror. That would just be awkward if you wanted to have sex. Screwing someone who looks just like you."

The Guardian's eye twitched, he stopped eating for a moment, taking a deep breath before resuming eating. He reopened the book, looking to take his mind off things. So far the food was pretty good just as Cayde said. A shame his friends were too busy to join him.

Minutes past, food portions grew smaller as they were eaten up. The Hunter stuck his fork in the last piece of chicken, rubbing it into what was left of the dipping sauce then opening his mandibles to chew on it. The juices squeezed out from the pressure letting his tongue have the familiar taste. Just as he swallowed the waitress came back putting a check on the table.

Likewise, the two workers had also finished up their food. stacking their plates into one pile they waited patiently for the check to arrive. By the time it did the human was smacking his dry lips. "Can I get another glass of water?"

"One moment." The waitress said.

The two split the tip 50/50 and had planned on doing the same with the check. the human repeatedly tapped his fingers on the table waiting for his water. the sound of a chair moving behind him caught his attention. 'About time.' He thought to himself.

The Guardian stood up, giving his legs a stretch before leaving a few cubes of glimmer as a tip. Looking around, he took the time to appreciate this. The concept of restaurants, people willing to serve customers like this. In the House of Kings, the closest thing that compares to it is the barons, and other higher-ups commanding their underlings to deliver meals to their quarters. Even then, the dregs, and vandals that did, didn't get the appreciation they should have. But the Hunter, he always gave his thanks.

Picking the untouched glass of water from the table, he walked away. As the workers waited, the sounds of heavy footsteps drew closer. The Awoken sitting across from the Human was the first to spot the source. Up close the Guardian was quite imposing for someone who didn't deal with Fallen at all. He shied away while his friend licked his lips. "Where's my water?"

A tri-digit hand firmly planting a glass in front of him answered that question. The two froze up, the sharp tips at the end of each finger leaving a mark on the glass. Slowly the Human's eyes trailed up the appendage. the dark skin covered by costumed tailored clothing leading up to the head with white hair, and glowing blue eyes.

Pekis' gaze was focused solely on the Human before him. He sniffed his scent, filled with fear. leaning forward, the Human began trembling. With a very soft voice, Pekis told him, "I heard everything you said."

The human really started to lose it. He actually heard everything!? His heart beat out of control, breathing was erratic, and he was bordering on a panic attack. Time seemed to stop around him as nothing else mattered more than what might happen in the next few moments. He didn't even notice losing control of himself. His friend was absolutely still, equally afraid for him, and the rest of the restaurant became quiet. Every customer and employee stopped what they were doing. The manager especially was worried about damages.

The unbearable moment dragged out. The workers too afraid to say anything. Steadily, Pekis fingers slid off the cup, his claws leaving long shallow scratches on the glass. The sound of it rang in their ears until he finally pulled his hand away. "You know nothing about me, or my people. So silence your lying tongue."

The Human mustered whatever form of courage he had into a small nod. Satisfied, Pekis walked away, keeping his sight on him for a few seconds longer. The whole restaurant gave a sigh of relief when Pekis turned away towards the cashier. When the two workers thought it was over a small flash of light came out of nowhere between them. In seconds it was replaced by a Ghost staring at the Human. "Also you probably should have worn brown pants today." Aepvis vanished, rejoining his Guardian.

"Pants?" The Awoken questioned watching the Hunter pay his bill. He turned back to his friend. "What did he mean by-" He caught a whiff of something in the air. Something really bad. It got so bad that he plugged his nose, and his friend realized that his pants felt a bit fuller than usual. "Did you shit yourself?"

Pekis paid the bill, holding back a smirk as he overheard the embarrassing talk that was sure to be followed by complaints from other customers. Exiting the building, he was greeted by the shining sun hit his face. Droves of people walked past going about their day.

As expected, Pekis stood out like a broken thumb. Walking, he couldn't help but notice people staring at him as he passed by. It really didn't bother him much anymore, But still, he wanted some time away from it so he headed for one of the less crowded sections of the city.

After a bit of walking, Pekis found what he'd been looking for. A public park, complete with several acres of green grass, trees, walkways, and a playground for children. The sounds of children playing aside, it was much quieter and open than most of the city. Parents stuck around watching their kids have fun while conversing with others while they were waiting.

As Pekis walked along the concrete path paved into the ground, some of the younglings saw him, jaws open in shock. Some pointing fingers alerting their parents that something was up. The adults, upon seeing the alien, had different reactions. Most had sat up from the benches, or cut their conversations short, calling their children away from the Fallen. Others just watched him, switching their focus between him, and their kids in case he tried to do something. One woman went so far as to quickly make her way to her daughter, who she believed was a bit to close for her liking, and picked her up, carrying her away from potential danger, much to the girl's dislike. Pekis could here the carried child complain to her mother, saying she wanted to stay look at the strange four-armed creature that was walking by with little success. Naturally, the mother didn't listen.

To the grown-ups' relief, Pekis didn't seem too interested in interacting with the youths and just kept walking until he found a bench sitting under a tree. The branches kept the spot shaded from the sun, preventing the metal from being heated by the sunlight. With a groan, Pekis sat down resting his back against the lumbar support, and crossing his arms. Taking in the fresh air, he took the chance to enjoy the moment of peace. Pekis had done a lot of fighting, and had much, much more to do in the future, so he had to take what he could get.

But even so, Pekis had not forgotten. When Kavgis was at his mercy, he made a vow. A vow he would never go back on. He would never stop, never waver until he had his vengeance.

Pekis became lost in thought, oblivious to the time that passed as he sat down. Most of the people in the park resumed their activities. Seeing the Hunter take a seat put them at ease, but did not stop some from cutting their day at the park short. The sounds of distant whining were clue enough that the children that had to leave did not like that idea. But while some were unlucky enough to have to leave, others had a chance to act on their curiosities.

Some distance behind the relaxing Fallen, a group was gathering. This group was primarily made up of kids whose parents were currently engaged with other things, giving them the chance to observe Pekis more closely without interference. As far as they could tell, Pekis had not noticed them yet, prompting them to whisper amongst themselves. "I dare you to do it." A young 10-year-old boy told a friend of his.

The friend in question was a girl by the age of 9 who was only a month or so younger than him. An Awoken girl with pale blue skin, reddish hair wrapped into a small ponytail, and glowing yellow eyes. The dirty status of her clothes suggested she had been playing hard for a while, taking a few tumbles given the tear on the front of her shirt, and scrap on her cheek. "Why do I have to do it? You do it." She said, switching her gaze between her friend, and the alien.

"I did your dare. It's only fair." The boy reached to his hair, continuing to pick pieces of sand out of it. "Or are you chicken?" He went on to making soft sounding chicken noises.

The girl was still hesitant to do anything, that was until the other kids nearby started to copy him. Soon she was practically surrounded, chicken sounds coming from everybody. She tried to ignore them but they were too loud, and annoying for it to work. She hated it. She hated being made fun like that. The voices started coming from her mind as well. Like her own subconscious was goating her on until finally, "Fine!" She just wanted to get away from them.

She got out from behind the tree, stepping into the open. At first, she got cold feet. After all, just a few yards away was one of the dangerous aliens she heard her parents talk about. But compared to those stories, he didn't seem that bad, did he? The other kids were quiet, taking cover behind tree trunks, or nearby bushes. Her heart rate increased, beating loud enough that she could hear it. Pekis seemed rather big and scary, but she didn't want to be called a chicken. Taking a breath, she took her first step forward very slowly. The grass crunched underneath her feet, her weight leaving behind shallow impressions on the blades. The loose ends of her clothes fluttered against the breeze.

Meanwhile, Pekis continued to sit leisurely. The sounds of playing hadn't stopped. Looking at the playground, Pekis couldn't help but feel envious. In his youth, there were no such recreation areas for Eliksni children or anyone else for that matter. The only fun that could be had was whatever you were clever enough to make.

The girl got closer. her breathing uneven, heart beating so hard that it felt like it was going to burst. She reached her hand out, extending one finger aimed for his back. Just a few more feet.

"Uh, Pekis," Aepvis said.

"I know," Pekis muttered.

She was inches away from touching the alien. crouching to avoid detection, she extended her arm as far as it could go. She was going to do it. She was actually going to do it. The others were completely enthralled by the scene. They figure she would chicken out, but she was actually going to go through with it. Just one more inch, and then...

"What do you want, girl?"

Everyone held their breath. Fighting the instinct to the run, she remained perfectly still. Maybe he was talking to someone else.

"I know you're there. I can smell you." Pekis rested his arm on the top of the bench, turning his body to look behind him. Looking down he saw a small Awoken child looking back at him, her legs bent, and her arm reaching for him.

She was petrified. Those blue eyes of his seemed to dig into the deepest part of her soul. He looked behind her seeing the other children hiding. Realizing their cover was blown they scattered, leaving the girl by herself.

"Well? Are you going to speak, or are you too young?"

Gulping, she pulled her arm away, straightening out her legs to stand upright. "S-S-Sorry sir. M-My friends dared me to t-touch you."

"Friends? Is it normal for them to leave you to fend for yourself?"

She didn't say anything to that. What kind of friends would do that?

"What is your name?"

The girl was hesitant to answer. "Talna Xun."

Letting the name rattle around in his head, Pekis turned back around, leaning his back against the bench. "Well, Talna, you may sit down if you'd like."

Talna just stood there thinking about his offer. It was rather tempting. The dare was just to touch him, but to actually sit next to him? But then again she remembered what her parent said about the Fallen. Was he dangerous?

Aepvis appeared in front of her. "Don't worry. He may not look it, but he's a softy on the inside."

Talna stared at the Ghost. Aepvis was the first one she ever met in person, and they only traveled with Guardians. So it was true that he was...

Aepvis float to the side of the bench, looking back at her. "It's alright."

Talna's heart was still beating fast, but after taking a gulp she followed the Ghost. Getting to the other side of the bench, the difference in size between her, and Pekis was more clear. Her eyes look up, and down his figure, from his white hair to his legs that ended with two toes on each foot. She climbed up, using both hands to get a grip on the bench before pulling herself up and sitting down.

A small gap separated the two. Talna kept her eyes forward, feeling a bit too shy to look directly at him. Pekis, on the other hand, wasn't shy at all, noticing a mark on her cheek. "What happened to your cheek? did you fall?"

Talna nodded. "I was playing tag, and I tripped."

"Let me take a look at that." Aepvis floated next to her, emitting a light from his eye. "Just a flesh wound." In a second, the scrap mark disappeared. "All better."

Talna rubbed her check, the stinging sensation she felt moments ago gone. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." Aepvis took a look at her clothes, seeing the tear. "Let me fix that." With another flash of light, the tear was fixed, and the dirt removed.

"Wow! Was that hard?"

"No, a patch job like that is no problem for a Ghost," Aepvis answered proudly.

"Where are your parents, little one?" Pekis asked curiously. "Did you come here by yourself?"

Talna shook her head. "My mom brought me."

"And where is she?"

"Over there." Talna pointed her finger at an Awoken women some distance away, sitting on another bench while she was conversing with another woman. The red hair and yellow eyes were definite signs of blood relationship, and purple trench coat covering what he was sure was a swollen belly said something else. "Do you have a mom?"

"What?" Pekis was taken aback by that.

Seeing his reaction made Talna shy away. "Sorry."

Pekis felt ashamed. She was just curious and didn't mean anything by it. But in truth it was always a topic he preferred to avoid. It always reminded him of a void he had. "...No, I never knew my mother."

"Oh..." The child started twiddling her fingers thinking of something else to talk about. "What about your dad?"

Hearing that, Pekis went from being relaxed to tense as a growling sound came from his throat. Talna picked up on this and tried to scooch away, but since she was sitting on a bench she didn't get far.

"Pekis!" Aepvis floated directly in front of Pekis face. "Calm down!"

Pekis stayed the way he was for a few moments until the look Aepvis was giving him made him return to his senses. He consciously forced himself to relax. With deep breaths, his heart rate slowed down, his growling became quieter, and quieter until it stopped altogether. His breathing returned to normal he looked back at the Awoken girl sitting next to him who was visibly shaken.

He cursed himself. He needed to control himself better. There was no point in getting worked up over it. "Sorry, I just don't like speaking of him." Pekis crossed his arms. "What of you? Do you have siblings?"

"No...but my mom said that I'm gonna have a brother." Talna finished with a smile. Her former intimidated demeanor replaced with excitement.

Pekis smiled seeing how elated she was. It reminded him of himself long ago before bad things happened. "You are excited?"

"Yeah! I going to be a big sister!" When her parents told her she was taken by surprised. At first, she was unsure of what to feel about it. But as time went on she kept thinking about it. At home, she tended to feel lonely at times since she never had siblings to play with, and her parents were rather too busy at times. But now she had a chance to have someone to spend more time with.

"You know there is a responsibility that comes with that."

"Really?"

"Yes. As the oldest, you must be willing to look out for him. help protect and guide him until he is ready to face challenges on his own. And at times protect him from his own foolishness."

"Wow." Talna had a lot to think about. "Did you have a brother?"

Pekis smile faded. His heart was filled with sorrow, and a very painful memory flashed before his eyes. "...Yes," he sighed, "Long ago I had a younger brother, but he died." Pekis closed his eyes, letting his mind drift to the past. It was so long ago, so many battles behind him, but the pain never faded. Seeing him lay dead on the ground, the surge of rage that consumed Pekis. Why? Why did it have to happen? Just because he refused to rush to his death? 'Phylkris.'

Pekis fought to hold back the tide of emotions that built up inside him. Even when they were boys, not yet old enough to have the rank of dreg forced upon them, Pekis had believed himself responsible for him. Helping Phylkris learn, and survive as they grew. And when the day came for Pekis to become a dreg, he no longer had the time for Phylkris for the demands of the House became more precedence. And when Phylkris himself became a dreg, Pekis did his best to help him through the pain, and humiliation that came with it, but he could not always be there for him. Not anymore.

As time past, It seemed like Pekis could rest easier for Phylkris seem to have gotten a good handle on his position. That was until that fateful day.

Talna was sad to hear that. Pekis seemed like such a nice person. How could something so bad happen to him? "What happened to him?"

Her question freed Pekis from his bad memories. Taking a breath, he looked at the girl, seeing the face of concern she had. "The ways of our House killed him. That is all you need to know."

"Oh..."

A long silence took place between them. Talna looked around, she could see her friends watching them, albeit from a much farther distance than before. Pekis took notice as well, causing them to duck down or look away to avoid drawing his attention. Pekis chuckled, "Tell me, this "dare" they had you do, was it just to touch me?" Talna nodded. In response, Pekis lifted his hand in front of his face, grazing his claws against each other. Raising his other hand, a blue light formed, fading to reveal his Fallen shock knife. Seeing the weapon, Talna's heart skipped a beat. "You have nothing to fear. I only wish to give you a gift." Flattening his hand, he brought the blade to the base of the claw of his thumb and proceeded to carefully cut through the keratin material. In a few seconds, the claw fell onto his lap, and he proceeded to repeat the process with the next two.

Talna watched with fascination as he continued. Another claw fell, landing next to the first, then another. Pekis put his knife away, replacing it with a few cubes of glimmer, then called Aepvis to his declawed hand. "Did you have something in mind?"

Pekis leaned closer to whisper something. Aepvis switched his focused between the glimmer, and the claws, then expanded his body. Talna was absolutely engrossed by the event. Just what were they up to? The glimmer, and claws both disappeared as Aepvis begun his work. A couple of twists of his shell pieces later, and out came a dark blue beaded necklace with Pekis' three claws attached to the front. Pekis held the piece up, examining the work. The claws had been filed down a bit so she wouldn't be hurt by them. "Here." Pekis handed Talna the necklace.

Talna was wide-eyed. "Wow! Really!?" It was so beautiful in her opinion.

"Yes, it's yours."

Talna took the gift with glee, immediately putting it on. "It's so pretty." Her fingers rubbed the smooth surface of the claws, their pale color brought to life by the polished work done on them.

Hearing that made Aepvis beam with pride for his work. "I'm glad you like it."

"What about your hand?"

"They will grow back."

"Talna!" The three of them turned to the red-haired Awoken women Talna pointed out to be her mother. She approached with a worried expression, the ends of her coat falling behind her until she came to a stop. She put a hand on her pregnant belly, taking a breath before saying, "What did I tell you about talking to strangers?"

Talna lowered her head, pushing herself off the bench to join her mother. "Sorry."

Pekis watched carefully as Talna was scolded by her mother. He didn't believe Talna was in any danger, but he couldn't help feeling protective. But Whatever he was feeling, he had to remember that she wasn't his. She had her own father.

The woman turned away from her daughter, eyeing up the Fallen sitting just a few feet away. She, like pretty much everyone else in the city, heard about him. The Ghost floating next to him was definite proof that he was a Guardian. But as strange as it was, the Ghost float by him did put her at ease. She had a lot of memories of the Fallen when she traveling to find the City years ago, none of them good. "I so sorry if my daughter has been bothering you." She said in as calm a voice as she could muster given the circumstances.

"It is quite alright. She is a nice young girl. And brave for one so young."

"He made this for me." Talna held out her brand new necklace for her mother to see.

"Actually, that was me." Aepvis corrected. She took the piece in her hand, admiring the detailed work on it she didn't notice Aepvis flying closer to her. By the time she did, he had already begun emitting a column of blue light at her as he scanned her. "And congratulations." He said joyfully. "The baby will be due in a few weeks. I hope you're ready."

"We'd better be. We saved all the baby stuff from when Talna was born, And we got a set of clothes for a boy."

"You'll do fine," Pekis said. "You are already raising one. You have experience now."

She chuckled, "Thank you." Surprisingly, it was comforting to hear that from him. She'd never heard of a Fallen being so kind. She would definitely have to tell her husband. 'That reminds me.' She held her arm out to check the time. "Oh, Come on, Talna. We have to meet dad in a little while." She gave Talna her hand who in turn grabbed it, and the two were locked together. "Say goodbye."

With a big smile, Talna turned to Pekis, using her free hand to wave to him, "Bye!"

Pekis returned the wave, "Bye, little one."

The two walked away hand in hand with a new perspective on things, leaving the other duo by their lonesome once again. "Wow, that was interesting."

"Yes, it was." Pekis thoughts were filled with how the people of the city lived. They lived so free, not having to worry about day to day struggles for survival. It was always a curiosity to him. It was so different from living in a House. A difference he hoped he could have had with...

 **51 Years ago, 3663**

 **House of Kings Lair, Earth, Russia, Vologda**

Deep in the bowels of House Kings base, a baron was currently residing in his private quarters. His room was spacious, House kings banners matching his cape strung on the walls. The furniture was most comfortable. Earned through his years of success as a leader. A pump was set in the corner, canisters of ether attached by tubes on all sides as a quiet hissing sound came from it, releasing the substance that allowed Eliksni to breath free of masks.

Sitting at his desk, the Baron Peekis was in a conversation. In front of him, a terminal showing an image of a captain on screen. Surrounding it, an assortment of data pads, books, and other containers of information was organized to best fit Peekis' needs for work. His fingers tapped the desk anxiously.

It had been two weeks or so since he sent Aepvis on a potential recruitment mission at a King's spy post on Venus. The post was set up years ago to monitor House Winter's lair in the Ishtar Sink. It was not the most sizable outpost, maybe half a dozen constructed shelters to house computers, scanners, radios, and a natural cavern used to store ether, food, and Eliksni. Several servitors were there to provide logistical support, as well for a steady supply of ether. Two captains were left in charge to oversee operations when another scheduled shipment of food was to be delivered, along with another captain sent under the guise of a routine inspection when in truth he was there to find more aid for Peekis' cause.

Because of the sensitive nature of the mission, Aepvis couldn't outright ask someone if they wanted to help overthrow Peldaks. He'd be killed if he asked the wrong person. No, it required a bit more finesse, which Aepvis had plenty to spare. It took time, but he got results.

"Aepvis, it's good to hear from you again," Peekis said relieved. Normally he would receive regular updates every few days from his agents regarding infiltration and recruitments. When he didn't hear anything from Aepvis for over two weeks he feared the worse. "I feared your mission had been discovered by an undesired party."

Aepvis chuckled, "Not likely my friend. The opposite in fact."

"So you were successful then?"

"Partly. It took some convincing, but the captain Tykiks has pledged her loyalty to you. As long as we can ensure that her family will not be caught in any crossfire."

Peekis could sympathize with that. "If she can give us their names we can take steps to ensure their safety, provided she can assure us that there is no risk of them betraying us to Peldaks." Peekis could sympathize, but he would not put everything he, and his friends worked for years for at risk.

"I will speak to them myself." Off-screen, a female voice spoke. Aepvis made room to allow a female captain to be seen. "Greetings, baron Peekis."

This was unexpected. "You are Tykiks?"

"Yes, I am. Aepvis has been very informative of your ambitions."

"Has he now?" Peekis looked over to Aepvis, curious as to how much he has divulged.

"Please, do not be upset with him. I am pleased that you would allow me to help create the future you planned. I have no interest in allowing Peldaks to continue his rule. I will not have my children be forced to be docked." All the Eliksni present subconsciously began rubbing the base of their lower arms. Such pain, and humiliation in that ritual. "I will do anything to keep that from happening."

"And what of your mate?"

Tykiks arms slumped. "He was killed some time ago for stealing extra ether. He did it for our young. He was afraid they would run out before the next resupply. My father has been watching them since. He Doesn't want Peldaks as Kell anymore than we do."

"I am sorry to hear that." Peekis' heart sank. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Vithras. It was things like that drove him. "Those days will end when Peldaks is dead. What of the other captain?"

"Awakses will not be convinced. He is too loyal. he will fight us. We will need to dispose of him." Tykiks answered.

"And your subordinates?"

"We will speak with them. I am certain they will be convinced to join us. The servitors we can reprogram."

"Excellent." Just then a notification popped up on Peekis' screen. "I am receiving another transmission."

"Very well." Aepvis said, "I will send another update in the next few days."

"Good luck, Aepvis." The feed was cut, returning the screen back to the home page. Peekis let out a sigh of relief. He feared the worst had happened to Aepvis, but his fears proved to be unfounded. Focusing, Peekis accepted the communication request. The screen turned black then brightened as the image of a captain engineer came into view. "Sivkik."

Sivkik bowed his head in respect. "Lord Peekis."

In response, Peekis raised his hand in a stopping gesture. "Please, Sivkik. There is no need to use such formalities." Peekis said half-heartedly.

"Nonsense, my liege. It is only fitting of one such as yourself. You will be the one to lead our people back to the good graces of the Great Machine." Sivkik's was straight-faced as usual.

Sivkik is one of the top engineers of the House of Kings. From an earlier age, Sivkik had already begun displaying a vast understanding of technology to the point where he was able to make repairs to equipment that left other engineers stumped. After becoming a dreg, he immediately set his sights for the engineering branch, quickly earning a reputation among his associates. As the years passed, his knowledge grew and he found himself in a leadership position as captain for his contributions to the House, one of his most notable accomplishment being the construction of a highly advanced spy ship that Peldaks immediately put into use.

Since then, Sivkik continued his work, designing, and creating technological advancements that put House Kings ahead of every other house in the System. Eventually, he attracted the attention of the famed baron Peekis who saw great promise in him for the cause. Peekis met with Sivkik himself, and after a good talk, they departed as new allies. Despite his work for the House, Sivkik never agreed with the leadership and saw Peldaks' rule as a reminder of their people's downfall.

In conjunction with Peekis' plan, Sivkik would hold off on his work for the house to avoid giving Peldaks any edge over them while working on side projects that Peekis asked of him. In the beginning, their relationship was purely symbiotic, but eventually, the two became good friends. But they never really agreed on Sivkiks use of formalities.

Peekis sighed. It seemed some things would never change. "Very well. I assume you have something for me?"

"Indeed my lord." Sivkik held up a large rectangular processing chip. "I have finished my work on the new CPU. Once installed into Fakiks, it will grant us full control over its systems. The prime servitor will kneel to you."

"And what of the lower servitors?" Peekis asked with all seriousness. In order to ensure the complete success of Peldaks' downfall, they need to gain control of the House's supply of ether. And by extension control the House itself.

"Once Fakiks is under our control, we can use it to send a transmission with a new algorithm I developed to reprogram their loyalties. We only need to install the CPU. With your permission, I can do it right away. Fakiks is currently undergoing maintenance. It will be easy for me to switch them while new parts are being installed."

"No. It will not be so easy. Pivraks is always watching when Fakiks is being tended to. If we act to hastily we will give our plans aways. We must wait until everything is in place then we will control Fakiks, and Peldaks' Elder Cipher will be mine."

"And what of Pivraks?"

Peekis sat back in his chair. What of Pivraks? That was a difficult question to answer. Deep down he didn't want to harm Pivraks. Pivraks was his teacher for many years. In some ways, the closest thing to a father figure Peekis had. But Pivraks was the Archon Priest. His duties were to help ensure the stability of the House as well as the ether flow. And he always held a deep resentment for the Humans since Twilight Gap. Since the Loss of his mate. But between him, and Peldaks, Pivraks was by far the more reasonable one. Perhaps one day he could come around.

And Peekis couldn't take Prevkis' father away from her. "I do not seek his death. When the time comes I want him captured, understood?"

"I will ensure myself that it is done, my lord."

"Good. I have work to do. We will speak again another time." With a nod, Sivkik cut the feed, allowing Peekis to have some time to contemplate things. It was so hard to believe sometimes. It had been so many years, climbing up the ranks, finding sympathizers to support him. He found a love that would stand by him, a friend that fought by his side for many years. But no matter how much time had past, or who he had with him, he could never forget where it all started.

Reaching down beside him, Peekis open a drawer next to him, reaching in to pull out an old picture.

He had been so lost in thought, he didn't notice the sound of the door opening up. Slowly walking inside, a scribe quietly shut the door behind her. She looked around, the decor had not changed since her last visit. The sound of the ether pump told her it was safe to remove her mask. Once off, she took a deep breath. Seeing her mate sitting filled her with excitement as well as nervousness. There was big news for her to divulge. Very serious news. steading her breathing, she got closer taking one step after another.

In moments, she could tell he was looking down at something in his hand, but could not tell what. When she got close enough, she coiled her upper arms around his shoulders, the sudden invasion of privacy making Peekis jump in his chair until he felt the side of her face brush against own. "Greetings my love," Vithras said, nuzzling his face.

Realizing it was not an enemy, Peekis settled down, letting the muscles in his body relax as he returned the nuzzle. "Vithras," His voice soft, and caring, "catching me off guard as usual."

"It's your fault for not keeping your wits about you." Opening her eyes, she saw what he was holding. "Even so young, you were terribly handsome." The picture he held was one of three young Eliksni standing side by side.

"Perhaps, but nothing compares to your beauty." Peekis raising his hand, putting it onto the back of her head, letting the strands of black hair she had flow between his fingers. In all the nuzzling, His own white hair mixing with her's. The two contrasting colors blending together in a loving embrace until the two broke apart.

"You still miss him don't you?" Vithras asked looking a the smallest of the three in the picture.

"You know I always will." Peekis set the picture down in front of him. "How have you been?"

"I am well. I have persuaded some other scribes to join us. When the time comes, they will support us."

"That is excellent news." Peekis could always count on Vithras. What she lacked in terms of combat skills she made up for with her mind. "Tell me, how has Prevkis been doing?"

"She has been doing well. She is most competent in the field. I have been personally overseeing her training. Prevkis will have a good future as a scribe."

Peekis smiled, "Good."

Vithras enjoyed seeing him smile. Peekis spent so much time working that he hardly had time to enjoy the little things anymore. He was always so driven. "Peekis, perhaps it would be good to speak with Prevkis. I am sure we can-"

"Absolutely not!" Peekis commanded, getting out of his chair. "You are not to speak a word about this to her!" His voice was no longer the soft, caring one it had been moments ago.

Vithras took a step back at this complete change in his personality. It was rare for him to get like this with her. Normally she would severely chastise him for it, but there had been a recent development that made her hold herself back. Controlling her anger, she said, "But why not? She has no love for Peldaks, and she despises the direction our people have taken. I believe she would be a good addition."

Peekis stared at her. He could deny her words. Prevkis had no more love for the Fallen Kells that commanded to Houses than he did, and she hated how far their people had fallen since the Whirlwind. No doubt she would want to join their ranks, but what they were risking... "No." Peekis settled down, his head dropping. "I will not drag her into this. If something goes wrong I will not have her death on my conscious. I've already lost Phylkris, I will not lose her too."

Vithras' heart sank. Seeing her mate in such a state... She walked up to him, cupping his face in her hands so they could look into each other's eyes. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to..."

"Do not apologize." He squeezed the hands on his face, wrapping his lower arms around her waist.

Vithras returned the embrace. The two were locked in a comforting embrace. All their troubles seemed to be rendered nonexistent. Nothing else mattered. Not Peldaks, not the House, not their mission. Just this moment. This moment they had together was what mattered. "Do not worry, you will make a good Kell. Far greater than your father ever could be." Peekis pulled her in closer, craning his neck around her's, his mandibles brushing against the hair on her neck.

The two of them shut their eyes, letting nothing distract them. As pitch blackness consumed her sight, Vithras knew this was it, the moment she'd been hoping for. With a soft purr, She pulled her head slightly back, positioning her mouth right next to the small hole on the side of his head that served as his ear. With a low whisper, she told him, "And you will make a wonderful father."

It took a second for his brain to properly comprehend that last combination of words she spoke. Neurons and synapses started firing. His breathing became uneven, his heart pounded as a tremor swept through his being. His eyes shot open, he pulled his head away, the look of surprise on his face far from fading.

With a smile, Vithras stared back into his eyes. He was just as she expected. He seemed so adorable when he's so muddled.

Peekis' mandibles twitched, his mind still reeling from what she said. "Wha- What?" he said with a hushed voice.

Vithras removed one of her hands from his waist, moving it along the length of his arm until she reached behind her to grip his hand, pulling it back around gently pressing his palm against her stomach, Her fingers intertwining with his. Vithras didn't need to say anything after that.

Peekis felt as though his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He pulled her in, wanting to keep her as close as possible while taking great care not to hurt her stomach. "How long have you..."

"Since this morning. I was feeling nauseous so I went to the medical ward." She leaned in, affectionately pressed her snout against his. "The vandal said it is going to be a girl."

Hearing that almost made him jump with joy. It was almost too good to believe. But at the same time, it also gave him a spike of fear. He figured one day after it was over, after the dust had settled, Peldaks was dead with all those like him, then maybe, but not now. Not when there was so much going on. Not while there was so much danger. If Peldaks ever found out what they were up to, he would not care he has to do to stop it. He would kill everyone involved. Everyone. No one would be spared. Not even...

Peekis held her tighter. If there wasn't a fire burning in him before, there was now. He had something new driving him now. Something he would give his life for. He would do anything to protect it. Even if he had to singlehandedly beat Peldaks to death in front of the whole House to assert his dominance.

His hold slackened, and the two lovers pulled away to look lovingly at each other. They both had something to look forward to. She leaned forward to give him a gentle lick on his snout. "I love you."

"I love you too."

 **Present day, Midnight**

 **Venus, Ishtar Sink**

In the Vex ruins of the Ishtar Sink, things had gotten much louder than usual. Several squads of Vex had initiated defensive protocols as two Hostile, and quite loud Guardians were assaulting their position. Goblins and minotaurs took to the front while hobgoblins stayed at a distance. Rifle shots flashed in the dark, energy blast sored across the battlefield in a beautiful light show.

standing on top of a broken pillar, a hobgoblin protecting its head emitting a glowing orange solar field was hurt. A bullet lodged in its chassis cause significant damage forcing it to proceed with repairs. In the safe aura it created, the radiolaria that made up its existence took action, converting the metal, and atoms into the same Vex material that made its metal. The bullet hole closed up, functions restored to normal capacity. Just in time as the shield it put up faded. It stood upright scanning the environment for targets, charging the line rifle in hand to fire.

Before it could finish, a second bullet impacted its core, causing it to breach. Radiolaria spilled on the ground, malfunctions following as the brain fluid could no longer control it. It didn't last when a third shot followed dealing the killing blow. "Ha, stupid robot!" Crux shouted among the chaos. Seeing the explosion of white was another in a long streak that he was making. "You think after so many years they'd learn that trick isn't reliable!" A line shot barely missed his head, reminding him of the battle at hand.

"They're Vex! Of course, they wouldn't!" Bitsine charged ahead, Perun's Fire in hand. Volleys of solar fire were fired, vaporizing Vex after Vex until she was forced to reload. She threw the empty clip to the ground, but before she could put in a new one, a minotaur teleported near her weapon ready. Bitsine looked at the Vex then at her gun, and decided, "Fuck it!" She holstered the fusion rifle on her back as the minotaur approached. Bitsine charge dodging the fire of its torch hammer until they were in arm's length of each other. "Come on!"

Accepting the challenge, the minotaur winded its arm, extending it for a deadly blow. "Please." At that moment, Bitsine glowed with arc power, swatting the metal appendage with her own, destroying it in the process. The Vex stumbled from the loss of its arm, then a punch to its torso finished the job. "Who's next!?"

As Bitsine continued her relentless assault, Crux followed behind her, putting his Gheleon's Demise to good use. "36, 37, 38..." Shell after shell few out the chamber matching the number of kills Crux was stacking up. He kept her covered, taking out every Vex that tried to snipe her.

The Vex's number decreased significantly to the point where reinforcements were needed. The remaining Vex called upon the rest of the collective. To all factions of Vex stationed on Venus. Moments after, a flash of light followed by a large black cloud appeared.

Bitsine jumped high in the air, bringing her fist down sending out a blast around her. Every Vex in range vanished in a puff of smoke. Her super wore off, "That was fun."

"It's not over yet." Crux reloaded his rifle.

"What?" Bitsine looked up, "Oh..." Out of the smoke, the bronzed, white striped armor of a hydra showed itself along with a swarm of harpies. "Nice."

"The Hazen Protective?" Bitsine's Ghost said to no one in particular. He had read of that Vex faction from files that Crux's team recovered from the Ishtar Archives, but read that they are only deployed to defend, and oversee crucially important parts of the Vex network. Why on Venus would they be sent fight two random Guardians?

Before Bitsine could draw her weapon, the hydra was already locked onto her. Its canons charged up to launch a barrage. Not have any interest in going through the resurrection thing, The Titian spun on her heel to get to cover when a flash of light blinded her.

The next thing she knew Crux ran right by her, glowing brightly with a machete size blade in hand. "Crux to the rescue!" Detecting the increase in power the hydra switch targets, now focusing on the attacking Hunter. Crux dodged the first few rounds, also avoiding the streams of lasers that the harpies fired.

Three flying Vex floated between him, and his main goal. The first was cut down. The second fired its weapons, but it barely did anything except make itself the next target. The third was about to take advantage of the distraction the second made but shot in the eye by the forgot titian. No longer in the crosshairs, Bitsine took out her Thunderlord, picking off the surrounding harpies so Crux could do his thing. "Get him!"

"Working on it!" Crux jumped in the air, the rotating shields around the hydra got in his way so he used his light to get an extra boost. Feet landing on its head, the Hunter positioned himself right above the face before plunging his blade into the hydra's eye. Electricity flowed from the blade, cause the hydra to howl out an electronic noise.

Bitsine finished off the last of the harpies with nothing left but to wait for Crux to finish the job. The insides were completely fried. Systems shut down as the damage was too severe for the Vex to stay stable. Its core began to overheat causing the body to glow bright orange as a warning before detonation. "Oh shit, Crux get out of there!" Bitsine warned.

Crux was too into the moment to register what was going on until the hydra hit the floor. "Got it!" That's when he noticed the glow. "Uh, oh."

"Crux, you are such an idiot sometimes." Soul informed. The hydra exploded into hundreds of pieces, signifying a victory for the Guardians...well except for Crux. The blast also took him with it, leaving his Ghost to pop up to begin resurrection. "That was the longest he ever went in the field without getting himself killed."

"Really?" Bitsine said, walking up to Soul. "How long was that?"

"Three days." In a flash, Crux was brought back completely intact. "One of these days I won't be able to bring you back if you keep this up."

"Oh, come on. Bitsine here if you needed her Light to help."

"And what if she wasn't?"

"Then I guess I just have to be more careful next time."

"The last time you said that you tripped over a Fallen grenade, and Ellie had to revive you while she was being shot at."

"If you think that's bad, one time when we were in one of the Hive's tunnels on the moon a boomer shot made the ceiling collapse on Bitsine." Bitsine's Ghost told them. "If it wasn't for Kelly, and Pekis I would have been eaten."

"Wow, that is bad. You ever wonder why our Guardians take such suicidal risks?"

"We're not suicidal," Bitsine retorted, "We just forget not to die."

"Who forgets that!?" Soul asked.

"We do," Crux answered, "But anyway thanks for helping us out with these patrols. There more fun when you got someone to help."

"Tell me about it. It's not the same without Pekis, and Kelly telling me how awesome I am. But with Kelly on suspension or whatever, and Pekis doing who knows what right now..."

"At least you got me." Crux took out his knife and began twirling it in his hand to show off. "I pretty good as a Bladedancer don't you think? I can give Pekis a run for his money."

Bitsine let the words sink before she outright burst out laughing. "You got to be kidding! If Pekis was here, All those Vex would have been cut in half in like five seconds, and he still would have had time to kick our asses if he wanted!"

Crux looked away, putting his knife away before muttering, "If he could avoid my Shadowshot that is."

Bitsine heard that. She ceased her laughter, "Oh yeah, and I've been meaning to ask, What is that weird void bow thing you use? I haven't seen any other Hunter use it."

Crux perked up, always ready to talk about his specialties. "That my fair maiden, would be me using my Shadowshot." He puffed up his chest, "I'm a Nightstalker." He declared proudly.

"A Nightstalker? I never heard of that before."

"That's because there's not that many of them." Soul appeared next to Crux to join the conversation. "Nightstalkers are quite rare."

"Hear that? I'm rare," he smirked.

"Not rarer than a Fallen Guardian." Bitsine countered.

The two Guardians continued their argument of who was rarer than what for some time. Their Ghost also joined in on the conversation, believing that as Ghosts they would better judges since it was their job to find Guardians. The stars above them shifted as time went on, and with no indication of the Vex returning anytime soon, they were probably going to be there for a while.

Well, no indications that they noticed. As safe as the area might have appeared, that was not the case for they were not alone. They might have destroyed the Vex that sent out the broadcast and the ones that were the first to respond to it, but that did not mean the end of it. Standing high above their position, out of their field of vision, a peculiar Vex was monitoring them. Crouching down to avoid detection, its bright white eye was fixated, scanning the two Guardians.

'Paracausal entities detected. scanning...'

'Quantity: 2'

'1 classified as "Hunter." Species: Exo, Male.'

'1 classified as "Titian."' The Vex mind's vision seemed to glitch at the mention of the word, almost like it remembered something and lost focus. It didn't last. 'Species: Exo, Female'

It continued to scan uninterrupted, allowing the two Guardians to have a sit down as they began conversing with each other of various things as time went on. It began cross-referencing the two Guardians with recordings taken from lesser Vex on Venus. Crux had made quite a few appearances. While most of his encounters with the Vex had been trivial, posing little to no true threat to the Vex collective, one definitely stood out.

'Entity confirmed responsible in assistance of Nexus Mind's elimination.'

'Status of conversion protocol: Inactive.'

'Threat assessment level: Severe.' While the other two that were with Crux when Sekrion fell weren't there, he would definitely need to be disposed of, and then his teammates would be hunted.

Bitsine was the next. She truly had left a lasting impression on the Vex. Her, and her fireteam. 'Warning: Entity confirmed responsible in assistance of Black Mass' elimination.'

'Status of Garden: Inactive.'

'Control level: minimum.'

'Ontological data retrieval on Black Mass: Inactive'

'Threat assessment level: Extreme.'

The Vex mind stayed where it was, conversing with its dark master waiting deep in the Vex underworld as it continued its work in trimming the timelines that could pose a threat to the Vex. Files were shared, simulations on the Guardians' potential threats to future Vex project were created, play out, recorded, then terminated in a matter of seconds. It was only a matter of time.

Hundreds of simulations dictated that if left unchecked, Those Guardians and their teams would cause irreparable damage to the Vex network. The Pattern was at risk. There was only one course of action. Time's Conflux sent out the order, but it didn't need to.

The wiring and mechanics running beneath the silver-blue metal plating of the Vex fired up, its body readying itself for combat. Running a last-second diagnostic, all systems, and energy levels were in the green. It was ready.

"Commencing termination." So said the Legionless Mind.


	34. Chapter 34

**1363 Years Ago, 2351, Twilight of the Golden Age**

 **Earth, England, London**

For Humanity it was a time of miracles. It had been over three centuries since the Traveler arrived in the Sol System, and every since the day it was found on Mars everything change. In little under a year, a new age of enlightenment begun for mankind as the Traveler bestowed its timeless knowledge upon its chosen people like many before them. All conflicts that were brewing on the Earth's surface ended almost imminently. Technology jumped ahead by centuries, new fields of once unimaginable science opened, the average life span of a Human tripled.

It a matter of time, Humanity's reach extended beyond the confines of their homeworld. Cities were built on Mars, and Venus. Mercury was turned into a garden world. The methane oceans of Titan became home to many and became the envy of the rest of the system.

But as grand, and far as Humanity had come, There was one planet that stood as its pride, and joy. Over the centuries, Earth was still home to billions of souls. Many worked for the continued benefit of everyone as the Traveler itself was in the process of terraforming Io, unaware of what was coming for them all.

One of these individuals was an orange-red hair woman that had just finished her shift at work. Traveling across the sky, she drove in her personal skycar in the middle of one of the many air traffic lanes residing over the city. Looking out the window, other skycars flew alongside her's, many varying in color, shape, and size. Further out, another lane could be seen, that one filled with cargo transports until they broke off from the path to deliver their shipments.

Staring out at the advance metropolis that the city had become since the Traveler's arrival, she was only broken out by the ringtone from the call she was getting. "Answer," Kelly told the onboard computer.

With a ping, the call went through. "Hello, my sweet." A German-accented voice said.

Recognizing the voice immediately, Kelly smiled before saying, "Hello, Paul. It's so nice to hear from you again!" Who she was talking to was her recently become fiance. It had been over a month since he proposed to her, but the memory was still fresh in her mind. The sight of him getting on one knee, the ring he offered, the memory still put a smile on her. She just wished her parents could have lived long enough to see the day.

They spent some time planning the wedding. The both of them agreed to an outdoor wedding out on the coast, but it still took time to prepare. Sending out invitations, meeting with the planner, making arrangements with the caterers, etc. The wedding was still two months off, and Kelly was counting the days.

Recently Paul was sent with a research team to Io to study the Traveler's terraforming capability while it was there. It had been some time since the two spoke to each other, and it was a relief for both of them. "It is nice to hear your voice too. How have you been?"

"I'm fine. I just got off from work, and I'm going home right now. I still have a lot of studying to do for my exam." What she was talking about was her test to become an archivist. It had always been a dream of her's to be one of the one responsible for the vast knowledge gifted to humanity by the Traveler, even back when her parents were still alive. But after they died in that terrible accident, she had dropped out of school, and focus on maintaining an income to support herself.

Working as a flight navigator she found that it came rather easy for her after a few years, but deep down wasn't what she really wanted. It was after meeting Paul, and they started living together that she was able to find the spare time to pursue her career. Another thing she was thankful for meeting him. "And the wedding planner wants to schedule another meeting. Apparently, there was some kind of mix up with invitations." Kelly let out a sigh. It wasn't the first mix up they had to deal with, and honestly, it was starting to get tiresome.

Paul, sitting down on the other end of the call, was feeling guilty for not being there. He had tried to request for some vacation time so he could help out at home, but his superiors didn't have anyone who could replace him for the moment. He looked outside of the mobile transport ship that they used as a monitoring station and saw the white orb they were there to study.

No matter how many time he looked at it, it was always just as fascinating. There was so much to learn about it, so many questions to answer. What was it? Why was it here? Where did it come from? Was it a God, or a machine? But even all those questions and the possible answers for them couldn't make him forget his beloved. "I'm so sorry I'm not there. They might be able to send a replacement for me in a week, or two, but I'm stuck here for now."

"It's okay. I know its not your fault. It's just been exhausting having so much to do by myself."

"I know. I'll to get home as soon as I-" Paul stopped his sentence at the feeling of vibrations traveling from the floor up to his body. The transport rattled, loose pieces of equipment making low vibrating sounds, some falling off whatever stand they were on, hitting the floor with a sharp crashing sound. Paul was silent, unmoving until he was sure it was over.

Trying to keep her focus on flying, Kelly could help but be distracted by her fiance's sudden silence. "What is it?"

Paul's head shot in several directions before responding. "...Just tectonic activity." His voice was unsure. 'The scanners didn't detect anything.'

His answer did sit well with Kelly, who didn't notice her vehicle was drifting to the side. "Are you sure everything- Oh shit!" The loud sound of a horn coming from a shuttle flying next to her brought her attention back to driving. That's when she realized she was only feet away from colliding with said shuttle prompting her to straighten herself out. Making sure she was stable again, she let out a sigh, not noticing the other driver was giving her the finger from his cockpit. "God damn it, that was close."

"What happened!?" Paul let out the breath he was holding when Kelly's ordeal began.

"My fault. I wasn't paying attention."

Paul figured it was best for them to talk some other time. It was clearly dangerous to talk, and drive at the same time. "I call you back later. Right now I have to-" Suddenly there was another quake, this one stronger than the last, far too strong to be an aftershock. It rattled Paul, causing some stacks of data pads to fall out, and causing him to lose his footing. He grabbed onto a grip built on the roof in case of turbulence. "Something's not right! I'll have to-"

The audio was cut off leaving only the image of Kelly's fiance struggling to stay upright. "Paul! Paul what's happening!" She never got her answer as the image slowly turned to static then was replaced by a black screen with a red [Connetion Lost] in the middle.

On the other end, the shaking stopped again. Still feeling rattled, Paul shook his head to get reacquainted with balance. When his vision steadied he let go of the grip checking the terminal he was using to see that the connection was lost. "Schaper!" Paul turned towards the exit, hearing one of his colleagues shout his name before he appeared. "Are you alright?

"I'm fine. What was that? There were no indications that there was to be any seismic activity on the scanners."

"I don't know, but you need to come see this." He left gesturing Paul to follow.

Paul did so, leaving the shuttle were he was greeted by the sun's ray momentarily blinding him, and saw the rest of his team by the cliffside. They were all wearing the same white scientific EVA suits designed for traversing the rocky terrain on Io. Many of them were carrying various scanners, cameras, electronic pieces in response to the newest activity. "What's going on?" He asked.

Another colleague of his took notice of him, walking over to hand him a datapad. "Look at this."

Taking the datapad in hand, he scrolled through the data that was being continuously updated every second. Paul'sface turned to one of confusion. "It stopped it's terraforming process?" The two of them looked into the distance where the topic of discussion was still floating in the same position it was for the past few days. "But it's not finished. why would it-"

Paul didn't get to finish when the Traveler a very loud, and very unanticipated blare that could be heard for miles. The noise was earsplitting, forcing many of the humans watching to drop what they were holding to cover their ears. But even that didn't help much. No one was sure how long it lasted, but soon enough the sound giving everyone a headache slowly died down, much to the relief of everyone.

Paul took his gloved fingers out of his ears, rubbing his scalp while the sound was still ringing in his head. "What was-" He stopped dead in his sentence when he looked back up at the white orb, seeing its new activity. "Where is it going!?"

It took a minute for everyone to recover before they could properly process his question. One by one they all saw what he was referring to. The Traveler was no longer where it was. It was moving now.

Back on Earth, Kelly had just gotten back home, the conversation she had minutes ago played back over, and over again. What happened? Is Paul Okay? These and other questions raced through her mind as she parked her skycar in front of her house in the suburbs. The door opened, and Kelly stepped out into the sun.

Her home was quite lovely. The grass, and plants line along the stone walkway leading up to the front door was carefully tended to thanks to the automated gardening system that the couple bought. The blue, and white color scheme covered the outside of the one-story house made of synthetic matter made from glimmer. By the front door, a single green, and white Frame was tending to the plants, various gardening tools attached to its chassis. "Hello, miss Vale." It said in a kind electronic voice, turning its single eyed head to her, "I hope you had a nice day."

Kelly didn't even acknowledge it, and it simply returned to what it was doing. She didn't bother trying to head inside. leaning against her car, she couldn't help but worry. On the way home, she tried to call Paul back after their call was cut, but she couldn't get through. Not to Paul or anyone else. The network was down which was highly unusual on its own. Such a thing rarely happened unless the system was getting a large scale reboot for an update, or the satellites were damage. And there was no warning of a reboot.

Kelly went back inside her car, leaving the door open as she fiddled with the console built into the dashboard. Now it wasn't just the phones that weren't working, it was everything. The internet, maps, news feeds, nothing was working. They all had a [No connection], or [Signal Lost], furthering the panic inside her. "Shit." Kelly banged the back of her head into the seat. "What the hell is going on?"

None of this made sense. First, there was a serious earthquake where Paul was, then everything she could use to get more information suddenly goes offline. Kelly pinched the bridge of her nose. "This can't be good." Her thoughts went back to her fiance who was on another world entirely. It wasn't the first time the two of them were able to reach each other, but this time was more suspicious. But then again, it could be nothing at all. Perhaps by tomorrow, she would be able to call him again.

She sat in her car for a bit contemplating things while staring at the dashboard that was being illuminated by the shining sun. Then the warm shin got a bit dimmer. Kelly thought nothing of it, probably a stray cloud in front of the sun. When the light got darker she thought, 'Big cloud.'

She closed her eyes wanting to put everything out of mind when the sound of an explosion entered her ear. Her eyes shot wide open, and she scrambled to get out of the car. At the same time, the neighbors had also started filing out of their homes, looking every which way for the source of the commotion. Kelly by then had already gotten out of her car, unsure of what it was she was looking for. It was when she looked up that her heart skipped a beat.

The sky, that had once been the same orange-red shade as it usually did at sunset, was now turning pitch black.

 **Present day, Nightime**

 **Earth, Last City, Tower**

Kelly's eyes shot open with a gasp, her cheek numb from the pressure her fist put on it while holding her head up. She lifted her head up, giving her cheek some much-needed relief. Groggy, she rubbed her eyes, arching her back to give it a stretch, wiping off the stream of saliva running out the side of her mouth. "What time is it?" she yawned out.

"1:00," Her Ghost answered. "You nodded off two hours ago."

"I did? Why didn't you wake me?"

"Why? You seemed so peaceful, and it's not like there was an emergency."

"Maybe because I prefer sleeping in a soft bed." Blinking a few times her vision cleared up. She was sitting in a corner section of the Libraries with very few other people around. In front of her was a datapad with information recovered from the Black Garden. I was mostly unimportant data such as historical which to the Vex means they recorded every second they were there. Every stupid uneventful second. No wonder she fell asleep.

In truth, it's not really how she wanted to spend her time at the moment. In the past, she did strive to one day become an archivist, but during her time as a Guardian, she discovered new tastes. And while she was never gung-ho like Bitsine was, the battles, and adventures she'd been on left her with a hankering to see more. Something she couldn't do while she was on suspension. "I'm bored. When is my suspension suppose to be over?"

"Not for another week. You know Pekis is back in your room. You could go and see if he is up for some private R&R, wink, wink."

"Hmm, tempting, but that's not the excitement I'm thinking of." Thinking of Pekis reminder her of the problems he was having. Something that was eating at him. He still refused to talk about. The Vanguard didn't really say much other than the intel he gave them. And his Ghost didn't say anything either. Guess they thought it wasn't their place to be spreading his secrets around. "I wish there was something to do."

"You're the one who burned someone's testicles off. You should have thought it through first."

"So you think he didn't deserve it?"

"Not to that extreme. You could have just given him a slap, or simply just kicked him in the balls."

Kelly thought about it. "Nope. A guy like him needs to feel special pain if he's going to learn something."

"And what exactly were you trying to teach him?"

"To keep his mouth shut."

"Well next time, could you talk to me about it first? Your not the only one who's been bored staying in the Tower."

"What about that game you like playing."

"It's not the same as fieldwork."

Kelly got up from her seat, picking the datapad up she headed for the exit. If she was going to sleep then it was going to be on a soft pillow. Thinking about her talk with her Ghost, a nagging question came up. "Ghost, I wanna know, do you have a name?"

"A name? No. Ghosts aren't born with names."

That really didn't seem right to Kelly. How could an intelligent being not have his own name? "Well is there one you would like to be called?"

"One that I want?"

"Yeah, it is your name after all, so is there anything you like?"

"Huh?" Kelly's Ghost though that was incredibly nice of her, letting him decide what it would be. Normally Guardians would pick, and choose for them. Even Pekis did for Aepvis. And he was pretty sure Aepvis was a Fallen name. "Hmm, a name. Uh, oh, how about-"

"Kelly." The Warlock turned to see Ellie approaching. Reluctantly, Kelly's Ghost stayed quiet, annoyed at the interruption. And he was sure he had a good one. "Your still here?"

"I fell asleep. The Vex should learn only to record important things instead of everything."

Ellie knew where she was coming from. "Yes, they should."

"By the way, how your work going?" What Kelly was referring to was the assignment that Ellie was apart of. Ellie and a select few others were tasked with tracing the information the Vex gathered to wherever they were sending it.

"Better. We manage to narrow down the search to somewhere on Venus. We should have the exact location pinpointed within a few days or so."

"Good for-" Kelly let out a yawn. "Sorry, but I'm gonna go get some shut eye. Talk to you some other time."

"Sure thing."

Before Kelly got more than three feet, her Ghost pop out in front of her. "I'm getting an emergency message from Bitsine." That woke Kelly right up.

At the same time, Ellie's Ghost did the same thing. "And I'm getting one from Crux."

"Crux?" That was unlike him. Ellie knew Crux was recently sent to Venus to help out with patrols, but never before has he ever sent an emergency message before. He usual could handle himself. What could he have gotten himself into this time? "Play it."

Her ghost did as she said. The next thing she heard was Crux who didn't sound like his usual cheery self. "Oh, crap." It sounded like he was in a bit of pain. "Um, Ellie, Avez. You're probably wondering what could be so wrong that someone as amazing as me would be calling for help. Well let me tell you that it is really bad, and um, me, and Bitsine could really use some help. We managed to hide for now, but that thing is still on our ass."

Kelly also had the message for her play, and the voice of a concerned Bitsine came through. "I don't have much time. Pekis, Kelly, if the two of you could take some time out of your busy ass schedules could you please get to Venus. What? Oh, shit. There's some crazy new Vex kicking the shit out of us! It destroyed our ships so we can't escape! And my Ghost, fuck he needs help! got to go." The message ends leaving Kelly with a sense of dread.

"I got of go get Avez."

"I'll call Pekis, and meet you in the hanger," Kelly said taking off.

"What about your-"

"Screw my suspension! Bitsine's in trouble!" The two Warlocks rushed off out of the Libraries, determined to help their teammates, and desperate to get there before it was too late.

Meanwhile, after returning to the tower, Pekis went back to his room. Removing his shirt, leaving his torso exposed, he hit the bed, wanted to get good a rested before going back out into the wilds of Venus to retrace the steps of the late Hunter, Pahanin. The final entries that Pekis had been reading delved into Pahanin's last recorded expeditions into the Vex ruins on Venus. He hadn't finished it yet, but from what he could tell so far, Pahanin, and the other Guardians he went with were onto something big. Big enough that they prepared for a great battle.

Whatever it was, it was good enough for Pekis to follow up on. But thinking back to the time he spent before the black Garden, he might have had an idea of where it would lead. But there was a problem. Pekis couldn't sleep. His body twisted, and turned under the blanket, his mind too focused on the trip to settle down. Fed up, Pekis had Aepvis act as a light while he reopened the book, hoping that it might do the trick of putting him to sleep.

flipping the page, the first sentence really caught his attention. [His name was Kabr. He wasn't my friend...]

Before he could read any further his Ghost interrupted him. "I'm receiving an emergency message from Bitsine."

"Bitsine?" that was unexpected. "What is it?"

"A recording. I'll play it-" Aepvis stopped mid-sentence for something. "And now Kelly's calling. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Kelly first." Pekis moved his legs off the bed, planting his feet firmly on the ground ready to move if necessary. First an emergency message from Bitsine, then Kelly calls? Something was up.

The line opened up, the first thing to come through was Kelly's voice sounding frantic. "Pekis!"

"Kelly, what's wrong?"

"It's Bitsine. I just got a message from her saying that she's been attacked by some kind of Vex on Venus. Crux is with her, and they need help. Ellie went to get Avez, and we're gonna meet back up in the hanger. Please hurry."

By the time she finished Pekis had already gotten up, his body glowing light blue before he felt the weight of his armor. The sound of his breath being filtered by his mask filled the room as he stomped his feet on the floor, making sure everything was fitting right. "I'm on my way." Pekis left the room with Aepvis sending him the quickest route to the Hanger.

"So I guess this means storytime is for another time."

"You think!?" Pekis made it to the elevator, heading up his head was plagued by thoughts. Something was not right. There were too many coincidences going on. First the Black Garden, this "Project" that Ellie found out from the mind cores, The lead he was following from the Errata, and now this.

Something was going on Venus.

 **One Hour earlier**

 **Venus, Ishtar Sink**

Following their battle against the Vex, Crux, and Bitsine choose to have a sit-down, and chat. The cloudless night sky revealed the millions of tiny specks dotted all across the void. The only lights present were those made by the eyes, and mouths of the Exos as they talked. Their Ghosts floated around, involving themselves in the conversation while keeping their scanners active for more threats.

The two sat on stones across from each other with a small Vex construct between acting like a table. Crux placed a bottle of synthetic fluid, and two glasses on it. He was glad that Exos came built with stomachs. Or containers in their abdomens fill with acid that needed to be cleaned out every now, and again, but tomato-tomahto.

Crux took another swig from his glass. "So while I was running I looked behind me, and I saw those psions were still chasing me, and didn't see the stairwell I ran into. I fell down, and hit my head on the bottom. I was out for about a minute, but when I came to there was a legionary standing over me with a damn slug rifle in my face."

Bitsine put her glass down, leaning forward enthralled. "So what did you do?"

Crux grabbed the bottle, and started refilling his glass. "I decided to try putting my charm to use. I look right at his face, and said, "Sorry, I'm the new intern here. Could you show me how to find the parking lot?" Guess he didn't have a sense of humor, because no more than two seconds later he shot my head off." What Crux was talking about was the day he was first resurrected on Mars years ago.

"Come on, Crux," Soul started, "Don't blame the Cabal. You never had a good joke to begin with." Bitsine laughed.

"Ow," Crux placed a hand over where a Human heart would be located to be dramatic. "That hurt."

"Oh, stop it. You still got us out of Mars."

Crux perked up, leaning back, and putting both his feet on the construct. "Yes, I sure did. Soul brought me back when the Cabal were sure I was dead, and I snuck onto one of their landing pads, and we stole a transport to get off the surface. By the time they figure out we were long gone. When we got back to Earth we thought we were in the clear, but we forgot it was a Cabal ship we stole."

Bitsine could already guess where this was going. "So what happened?"

"The City was in our sights, but before we could open a comm channel we were getting lock-on warnings out the ying-yang. We hadn't even gotten two words out before I was dodging missiles left, and right. I managed to get closer, but then we got winged, and I had to manage a crash landing."

"Damn, you crash!? what did you hit?"

"The side of the Wall," Soul answered. "I transmated us out at the last second, and boy let me tell you Zavala was not happy."

"I probably wouldn't be either if I made the Tower think the City was under Cabal attack," Bitsine responded chuckling.

"No, it was because the crash caused a chunk of the wall that was protecting an armory to break off, and a bunch weapon crates fell out the hole."

Bitsine slapped her leg and laughed. "Holy, shit!"

"Glad we manage to find our own ship instead of stealing one." Bitsine's Ghost said.

"Yeah," Bitsine started calming down. "right at my old base no less." The two Guardians sat there quietly. Crux got to thinking about the chewing out Zavala gave him, and Bitsine just thought about things.

Crux stood up, putting the bottle, and glasses in his inventory. "The night's still young so why don't we hit the House of Winter where they live, and see how much damage, and stuff we can steal before we have to make a run for it."

Bitsine like that idea. "Sure, I just hope Pekis doesn't have a problem with it. You know with the whole..."

"It'll be fine. If he did have a problem with it, we wouldn't be here right now." Crux unholstered his Last Word, making sure it was fully loaded.

Bitsine got up, pumping her Crash shotgun. "lead the way, my good sir."

The two Ghost look at each other with wariness in their eyes. Their Guardians sure like to push what they could do no matter how dangerous. Before they could summon their sparrows they pick something up. "Wait a minute. I'm getting something." Soul said checking her scanners.

"Me too."

The two Guardians stood where they are. "What is it?" Crux cocked his hand cannon.

"Hmm..." Soul's body twisted, and turn trying to figure out what she was detecting. "I'm pretty sure it's a Vex but..."

"But nothing!" Bitsine declared looking around for another six-foot robot to shoot. "If the Vex want to keep playing, then we can play too. So where is the stupid thing?"

The Ghosts were too distracted to answer. What they were reading from their scanners was unusual for a Vex. Such bizarre energy. They didn't have much more time to before the sound of a Vex call filled the air. Its electronic tone resonated in their ears, too deafening to accurately pinpoint. When it finally stopped Bitsine call out, "Come on! where are you!? Come get some!"

"Uh, Bitsine," Her Ghost started, "Maybe we shouldn't just be gung-ho about this. It might be best to-"

The Ghost never got to finish. A red beam shot the Ghost in the air, taking out a chunk of his shell, damaging his core body leaving a scorch mark. Fragments of the shell scattered, showering Bitsine, the sounds of shell on armor contact drowned out in the background. Bitsine herself was too dumbfounded to say anything. Turning to see that her Ghost had just taken enemy fire did something. His body spun in the air, the impact giving him some increased altitude before he started to fall. Dropping her gun, she slid down catching her Ghost before he hit the floor, cradling his damaged body in both hands. The light of his blue eye flickered rapidly, showing that there was still some amount of life in him.

Crux, shocked from the event, manage to recover, and follow the path of the shot back to its point of origin. Staring high above them, he could make out the shape of a Vex perched above their position on top a Vex ruin. Its white colored eye fixed on them as the rifle it was holding charged for another shot. Crux could see well enough when it adjusted its aim in his direction, but he had a theory that it wasn't him it was aiming for. "Soul!" Frantic, the Hunter reached out grabbing his Ghost in a vice grip just as the Vex fired. His hand took the brunt of it, the energy-burning a hole through with the last bit of it doing some minor damage to Soul's shell, but keeping her life out of danger.

"Crux!" Soul managed to wiggle her way out of his damaged hand, narrowly avoiding a second shot that barely grazed her shell. "Oh, shit!"

"Take cover!" Using his other hand, he grabbed Soul again, taking her as he vaulted over a pile of rocks for cover. More shots followed the previous two. He let Soul go, raising his other hand up to his face to see that he could look right through it.

"I'll fix it." In a flash of light, the hole was gone.

Crux flexed his hand, the damage undone he was able to focus on the situation at hand. "Bitsine, you okay!?" the lack of a response was unsettling. "Bitsine!?" Still nothing. "Shit is she..."

"No, she's still alive." Soul informed

Hearing that Crux attempt to peak out from cover, only getting a glimpse of Bitsine on her knees holding her damaged Ghost in her hands before more energy rounds hit the rock he was behind, encouraging him to keep his head down. "Crap!"

Luckily Bitsine was cover by some same ruins, not that she was aware of them though. In fact, she was almost oblivious to what was transpiring. "No." Her voice was above a whisper. She continued staring at the Ghost in her hands, the remaining shell fins still attached to his body twitched. "No, please..." She begged.

"...B-B-Bit-Bitsine..." The Ghost said weakly. His eye glowed slightly brighter with every sound he muttered.

Bitsine was pulled out of her shock. Hearing that her little friend was still alive put some joy back into her being. "Yes! I knew you were tough. You can do this."

"Bit-Bitsine..." Then the Ghost began to move more diligently. His body moved side to side, trying to get upright. His eye glowed brighter, flickering on, and off as the damage he sustained still need to be repaired. "Bitsine..." He started to levitate slowly, at first only getting an inch off her hand then fell back.

"Come on. You can do this."

Crux was exchanging fire with the Vex that put a hole in his hand. His 1000 Yard Stare booming after every pull of the trigger. Normally, one or two shots would be enough to put down any other Vex. But this one was not like other Vex.

The Vex in question was proving itself to be very problematic. Not only was its aim spot on, but its evasive skills far surpassed regular Vex, whose only method was to teleport a short distance away. Instead, when Crux opened fire at their attacker, the Vex jumped out of the way, dodging the incoming bullet, and took cover just as they did.

Crux was dumbstruck. "When can a Vex move like that!?" The movement was so agile, and limber, not slow, and blocky like other Vex.

Soul, who had dematerialized into the safety of Crux's inventory, continued scanning their adversary. "That's no normal Vex. Keep shooting!"

"No need to tell me twice."

Bitsine kept her hands cupped, the gunfire of little concern for her at the moment. Her Ghost continued his attempts to fly to no avail. The damage was too severe. "Bitsine..." His voice was getting stronger, little by little, but was a far cry of his usual self.

"I'm here little guy." She said assuringly.

"...We have to move. Get...back to the City...for help."

Those words were music to her ears. "You got it!" Bitsine stood back up, the dire feeling she had fading with new hope. Before she could say anything else, another beam of hot energy shot right past her head, an inch away from striking her in the cranium. "Shit!" Dropping to the ground again, Bitsine pressed her Ghost against her chest to protect him. "You better hide. Me, and Crux will deal with that thing!" She finished in anger. It was her Ghost that was shot. Her's! And she was going to take every ounce of inner pain she was feeling out on that Vex's metal carcass.

"But Bitsine...we need to get back to the City."

"We will, but we got to deal with that son of a bitch! Shouldn't take too long."

Realizing there was no dissuading her, Bitsine's Ghost vanished, taking refuge in the safety of her inventory. He only hoped there wasn't more to this Vex than meets the eye. A hope he feared would be dashed away.

sticking her head out, Bitsine laid eyes of the vantage point the Vex was using to snipe at their location. Crux had his back to the rock he was hiding behind while he reloaded his rifle. With a final cock, the Hunter turned around ready for another exchange of bullets when he saw Bitsine was finally back in the game. "Alright, your back!" Another shot from the Vex forced him to duck again.

Seeing this, Bitsine decided enough was enough. "Yup, and I pissed!" It was payback time.

The Vex itself was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the effectiveness of its current methods. In previous Guardian encounters, a single shot would do in the small constructs that accompanied them, then when they were in shock by the loss another would see that the termination was followed through. Had it not lost its footing on a small pile of gravel, this encounter would have been the same. Its white eye saw movement from the Titan's, adjusting its aim it saw the target standing in the open with something mounted on her shoulder.

Zooming in, it saw what it was. "Danger."

"FUCK YOU!" Bitsine fired her Warpath launcher, sending a rocket to the spot the Vex was.

Seeing the threat, the Vex moved quick, faster than any other standard Vex model.

The rocket hit its mark, blowing the stone, and ruin to rubble in a grand explosion. Smoke and dust shrouded the impact area, only the Ghosts being able to tell if something was still alive or not.

It was.

Bursting out of the smoke, the Vex mind jumped high into the air virtually unharmed, only its silver-blue plating covered in dust was any indication it was in an explosion. As quick as it took air, gravity took effect, plummeting the Vex down until it hit the bottom with enough force to make the ground beneath the Guardians shake. The impact kicked up some loose dirt into the air.

Seeing as their enemy was right before them, the two Guardians also moved out into the open weapons drawn. Bitsine brought out her Thunderlord, trigger finger itching to be used, and Crux his Last Word drawn. They stood side by side, looking over this odd looking Vex. The paint job itself was an attention getter. Not the Brown, or bronze colors like most of its race. As it straightened itself out, they could tell its build was different. No glowing chest piece, probably hidden inside the body. The structure was a bit smaller, and more humanoid looking.

"Given up on life have you?" Bitsine tightened her grip on her weapon.

"That was some nice air you got." Crux commented. "Soul, you got something?"

Soul was combing through file copies of Vex data she retrieved from the Libraries, looking for anything the Vex might have on the mind threatening them. Layers, and layers of information turned up little. Scattered images, and recordings from different planets, each involving one or more Guardians. She didn't get the whole picture, but some places she was sure weren't recorded on any chart in the City. Then she found something else. Images of a Vex dwelling that she was sure was underground if the stone walls, and caverns were anything to go by. At the center, a staircase leading up to a collection of glass pillars angled to take the shape of a small pyramid. But through it all, one name kept coming up. A name that reminded her of something. "Its call the... Legionless Mind?"

"It's about to be the Scrapheap Mind!" Bitsine pulled the trigger, round after round of electrified metal striking the radiolarian metal. Each one hit with enough force to cause it to stumble back. Crux followed her example, his hand canon drowned out by Bitsine's gun.

After a few seconds, the Legionless Mind found its footing, and stood firm, raising its arm to cover its eye. It felt no pain, but it registered every impact on its body, every dent left in its chassis. Even so, its core was secure, shielded from any damage from the outside.

A minute passed, then all was quiet. Both weapons had been emptied, only the sound of Bitsine repeatedly pulling the trigger just to get a click sound. When it was certain it was over, the Legionless Mind lowered its arm, fixing its white optics on the two shooters. Just as Bitsine dropped her emptied clip to insert a new one, the Vex mind started to glow.

Crux, being the first to notice, tapped Bitsine on the shoulder. "Bitsine?"

"What?" She turned to Crux who was pointing at the Vex. When she turned back around she saw what she was looking at. It was glowing. It was glowing a bright orange color that was the same as a hobgoblin's defense mechanism. Reaching her arm out, Bitsine felt the heat coming of its metal body. So much like the sun, but this power was not welcoming. The dents their bullets left suddenly popped, and the plating was nice, and even, Just how it like it.

The heat faded, the glow that illuminated the immediate area dimmed until the lights of the night sky were the main source of light again. "Damage repaired. Level one measures: ineffective." The Legionless Mind's voice was dark, and electronic.

The two Guardians stood where they were, both completely dumbfounded by what they just bore witness to. Crux was the first to speak. "Did...Did that thing just talk!?"

"Good that means it has a jaw I can break." Bitsine holstered her machine gun on her back, getting closer to settle things the old fashion way. Winding her arm up, she was just a foot away from the Vex that kept its eye on her, monitoring her every action while it ran simulations on the current situation. With a howl, Bitsine let loose a punch with everything she had, sparks of electricity dancing on her knuckles only to be stopped with ease. "What!?

The Legionless Mind caught Bitsine's fist, demonstrating unusual reflexes. Bitsine watched its white eye adjust itself, zooming in on her.

"Bitsine!" Crux reloaded the Last Word, firing, and taking care not to hit Bitsine. The sound of metal hitting metal rang through Bitsine's helmet, sparks bounced off both her's and the Vex's armor with every impact.

Crux's gun was emptied, and the Vex stood right where it was, largely unfazed by what happened. Bitsine tried pulling her fist away, but the Vex had a solid grip and was not letting go. "Let go!" Bitsine threw her other fist, the Legionless Mind responding by catching it just like the other. "Damn it!"

"Requesting authorization to experimental systems."

Bitsine had no idea who it was talking to, and she didn't care. "Eat me!" She lifted her leg, delivering a roundhouse to its side. Its frame was moved, but did not falter. It cast Bitsine's fists aside, and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground, and silencing any further outbursts from her. 'Damn, he's strong.'

Bitsine struggled to try getting the metal hand off of her, unaware of the communication taking place. In the Vex network, the Legionless Mind's request was more than words. A transmission it sent went to the deepest parts of the Network where time was at the Vex's mercy. The intended recipient contemplated it. Said systems were just as it was said, "Experimental". Even after all this time, which to the Vex time was relative, they still didn't fully understand the power that they were created from, which tended to lead to some complications. During all their experiments, they managed to cultivate that power, restoring it from the small spark it had once been reduced to long ago, and repurposing it for their plans, but it was far from perfect.

But every use of them gave them more data to work with, another step to perfecting them.

'Authorization granted.'

After a bit of work, Bitsine managed to pry the metal fingers off her throat. She fell on her side giving Crux an opportunity. His body lit up in flames, the gun he was holding turning bright gold. Detecting the sudden energy spike, The Legionless mind eye went from pure white to light blue. Crux fired the first shot of his Golden Gun, a beam of solar power flew straight at the Vex when in a flash it was Gone. "What!?"

Bitsine was back on her feet. She like Crux was looking around, his fires still burning waiting to be used. "Did it teleport?"

Soul was scanning the surroundings. The energy she got off the Vex wasn't something for teleportation, but there was something familiar about it. examining its previous location, she detected the faint traces of its power, using that to find that it was behind Crux. "Crux, behind you!"

The Hunter turned around to find the Legionless Mind, the dirt around it kicked around with a small dug up trench leading up to where it was standing. "There it is!" He fired another shot.

Seeing the incoming fire, the Legionless Mind's legs lit up with arc power, sidestepping out of the way, its feet slide across the ground for a few feet out of harm's way.

Crux's eyes widened. "Oh, shit!" Another shot, the Vex responding with the same maneuver, the power surrounding it becoming more intense. "Fuck!" Crux attempted to get another shot off, but his super wore off, leaving him open for when the Vex took its next step, this time sliding right in front of him. "HOOOLLLYY SHIT!" The next he knew, a metal fist dug itself into his abdomen, enough electricity being sent through him to keep him immobile when he was lifted off his feet, and sent flying away.

"HOLY SHIT!" was all Bitsine could say when Crux hit a rock with enough force to shatter it. Pieces scattered everywhere, showering the Exo's prone body with small thumps all over his body. Seeing that, Bitsine aimed her gun again, and pulled the trigger.

Covered in debris from the exploded rock, Crux laid on his side with an arm around his stomach as Soul worked to heal him. "Ohhh, what... was that?" he groaned. The sounds of gunfire roared yards away, drowning out the shouts of frustrations Bitsine was giving off from her continued misses. In seconds, Crux was back on his feet ready for payback. "Alrighty then."

Bitsine held down the trigger hard, case after case flying out her Thunderlord as bullets were sent in pretty much all directions. The Legionless Mind proved itself vastly superior with maneuverability, being able to accurately calculate the trajectory of each shot to avoid being hit. Not that it would have been enough to destroy it, but the less damage taken the better. Ignorant of this, Bitsine didn't let up until she once again ran out of ammo. "Shit!"

Seeing the opportunity, The Vex closed the gap getting right in front of her, arms charged it reached out to strike her.

"Fuck!" Thinking fast, Bitsine knock the fist away with her gun, letting it go to return the favor with little effect. After a loud clank sound, she sent her other fist to repeat the process only for it to be blocked by a metal forearm. It then grabbed her arm, pulling her towards it to deliver a mighty blow to her head, the metal helmet cracking from the pressure. Losing her balance, she began to fall when a knee reached up to bash itself into her gut, lifting her a few inches before an elbow struck her back pushing her flat on the ground. "Damn." She wheezed.

Trying to get up, an electrified prosthetic kicked her in the chest, sending her rolling away for a bit until she was stopped by a rock wall.

From the confines of her inventory, the injured Ghost monitored the situation. Seeing his Guardian take a beat down was not sitting well with him. He tried to undo the damage, but his wound made that difficult. There was no quick healing, no few seconds of waiting until it was all better. With most of his power use to keep himself alive, it would be a slow process lest he'd risk overexerting himself. "B-Bitsine..." he called out to her.

"Don't talk." With a groan, Bitsine got back up. "Is that all you got!" Stepping forward in challenge, Crash shotgun in hand. "COME ON, BITICH!"

"Yeah I'm still here you second rate junkheap Frame!" Crux stood on top a ledge with his Gheleon's Demise.

The Legionless Mind tilted its head. "Durability: Moderate. Challenge: Accepted." Its body surged with power again. "Insult: Noted." It took a running start, the arc aura surrounding it leaving behind a trail when it leaped, focusing it energy on a retracted arm, targeting the space between the two Guardians.

The nonexistent hairs on the back of Bitsine's neck stood up, a familiar feeling washed over her bringing up memories from Crucible. "Get Back!" Bitsine ran not wanting to be too close.

Crux took her advice, backing away, but not fast enough.

The Vex slammed the ground, the power from its arm created a beautiful blue explosion, rocking the area with immense vibrations as a shockwave extended out from its position, electrifying everything in range.

Bitsine, for the most part, got away unscathed, minus a push from the force of the blast sending her tumbling to the ground. Crux, however, was not so lucky. Being the closer one, he received the full force of the explosion, cape torn, armor busted, thousands of volts of electricity fried him from the inside out. His body made the sounds of circuits blowing, unable to make any recognizable sound with his voice modulator taking damage. With a loud thump, his lifeless body hit the dirt, smoke rising out from him, marking an end to another one of his lives.

"Damn it! not again!" Soul said frustrated. Her body appeared over Crux's, beginning the revival process, leaving her vulnerable in the open air.

The Legionless Mind slowly stood back up, steam rising from its chassis, its limbs twitching as its mind core registered several system failures. 'Warning: overheating detected. Mobility hindered. The cooling process to initiate.' The outer plating of its body separated and extended outward allowing hot air to exit at a rapid pace. 'Recommend lower power consumption for prolonged usage.' Temperature returning to acceptable levels, the plates retracted back into position. Its scans showed Soul out in the open again, keeping Crux's connection to the land of the living intact to bring him back. A line rifle form in its hand, readying to end the Ghost this time. The rifle charge then a rock hit the barrel with a bang, throwing off the aim as it fired, barely missing the Ghost.

"Oh, fuck!" Was all Soul could think of.

"Oh, hell no!" Bitsine charge firing a shell from her shotgun. Sparks bounced of the Vex like firecrackers with every metallic pellet the struck it. It refocused back on the Titian, taking a shot at the weapon, hitting the ejection port, and jamming the gun. "Crap." Bitsine tossed the broken weapon, letting her Light consume her as she ran forward. She jumped, coming back down to land on the Vex only for it to simply zip out of harms way again.

Bitsine left a crater when she landed, her body still glowing with power as she call out, "Get back here!"

The Legionless Mind did as she said, reappearing right in front of her. The two powered entities locked eyes, Bitsine being the first to throw a punch at its head, her own power surging through its body, the electricity from both sides connected, creating a type of bridge between the two. Bitsine could feel it, feel the power coming from the Vex. It felt so familiar, but also strange. Where did it come from? But those question could be answered after it was dead.

She threw another punch to the chest pushing it back, her fist being grabbed halfway with crushing pressure, arm getting twisted eliciting a yelp of pain out of her stopped by a blow to her stomach. Sucking it up, she managed to break free of the hold it had on her so she could retaliate, tackling it, and ramming it straight into a Vex pillar. The pillar rocked, pieces of it breaking off, An shallow impression of a Vex being left in the radiolarian solid. Bitsine didn't let up, punch after punch creating bright blinding flashes from the two colliding powers. "Just! Fucking! Die!"

The Legionless Mind was dug deeper into the stone with every hit, its power granting it some protection from Bitsine, but could still feel its chaise rattle. Bitsine super was beginning to run out, even faster with her relentless assault. With everything she had left she delivered one final attack to its head, more specificity its currently light blue eye, cracking the glass layer protecting it, and pushing the metal around it in. And that was it. The glow surrounding Bitsine faded, her energy depleted her shoulders sagged, fatigue washing over her, and with her Ghost in his damaged state, there wasn't much he could do at the moment.

Bitsine stepped back to inspect her work. An Exo equivalent of a smile spread behind her helmet. The Legionless Mind was bust up, metal plating cracked, and dented, limbs hanging loosely twitched as remnants of its power sparked every now, and again. Its eye smashed in, chips of glass fell out, the light flickered implying it was still online. "How do you like me now?" Her victory was short live. When it seemed the day was won, there was a glow. Bitsine stepped back wide-eyed. "Fuck, I forgot."

Orange light engulfed the Vex mind yet again, the heat sealing the cracks, repairing the injuries it sustained. Limbs jerked back into place, it pulled its body out of the rock, running a quick diagnostic to ensure everything was working. "Damage repaired." The white light coming from its head turned red, focused solely on Bitsine.

Bitsine became unnerved. She may not have known everything about the Vex, but she could tell when something was pissed off. It stepped forward, making her back up further. Her Perun's Fire appeared in her hand, trying to fire off a volley before it was too late. The Legionless Mind swatted it away, grabbing her by the neck. still weak from the fight, Bitsine didn't do much when a current of electricity flowed through its arm, entering her body with a vengeance.

Screaming in pain, her body stiffened, unable to move except for the spasms that were the result of electrocution. It stopped, giving her some respite that was cut short when it turned around, and ramed her with crushing force into the pillar. The first ram knocked the remaining wind right out of her, making a shallow impression of her on top of the Vex's into the radiolarian stone. It pulled her back, pushing her back head first with even greater force causing fissures to crack open in the pillar. A third, and final slam utterly destroyed the pillar, sending the Titian falling through a waterfall of stone, and metal, hitting the floor with a loud groan.

Bitsine was beaten, half buried in rocks, and half fried, barely any energy to get up. Overcoming the pain, she managed to lift herself up on her elbows only to get pushed back by a metal foot stomping on her chest. "Ohhh, fuck! You're heavy!" She grabbed the leg trying desperately to push it off with no success. She gave up, letting her arms fall where they may, looking up at the now bright white eye looking back down right at her. "Is that all you got... you fucking pussy." she finished chuckling.

Adjusting its head, the Vex reached down, taking hold of Bitsine's helmet to pull it off, revealing her Exo face to it. "Target subdued." It crushed her helmet in hand, throwing it away to replace it with a line rifle. "Termination commencing in..." The rifle was aimed right at her. "3,"

Bitsine Ghost, being completely aware, was terrified. He didn't know if he could bring her back, but he would try even if it meant self-sacrifice in the process.

"2," The rifle was charging up, about to release a burst of life taking light.

Bitsine closed her eyes, ready for the nothingness that was about to take over. Remnants of memories of her old life, her old friends, family, and teammates that were lost long ago. One that stood out was a man she was walking hand in hand with before she had this metal body. His face was lost to her, but that feeling of comfort she got from him was still there. That memory made it easier.

Her mind clear, she uttered the last thing she would say with little more than a whisper. "See you soon, John."

"1," Just then, a knife made of burning fire struck the weapon, blocking the exit so it couldn't fire. With nowhere to go, the charge continued to build up until the gun couldn't hold it anymore, ending with it exploding.

The sound broke Bitsine out of her trance, bits of hot metal hitting her face. "What the!?"

"You forget about me!?" Crux, back in the land of the living, Took aim with his 1000-Yard Stare.

"Crux, that doesn't have enough stopping power to kill it." Soul informed.

"Wasn't trying to." Through the sights, he saw the Vex throw the destroyed weapon away, turning its attention to him. "Now you see me," He pulled the trigger, a single bullet traveled across the air, hitting the Vex in the eye, blinding it. "Now you don't."

The legionless mind stumbled back, taking its foot off the wounded Titian. The bullet was lodged in its eye, making visibility an impossibility at the moment. Something stuck to its chest, barely enough time to register its presence when it exploded into a cloud of debilitating smoke. Whatever it was made of, the smoke caused the Legionless Mind's sensors to go haywire, making it unable to know what was going on around it until more impacts force self-preservation protocols to kick in, and in a flash, it was gone.

Certain it was over, Bitsine sat up, pushing the rock holding her down off when Crux ran up to her. "Bitsine, you alright?" He asked frantically.

"No," She stated bluntly. "I feel like hammered crap."

"Come on." Crux grabbed her helping her get back on her feet.

"Is it gone?"

"No, it'll be back. We have to get out of here. Soul, call our ships."

"Got it." The Ghost responded. She did a scan on Bitsine's, seeing that his life was slowly fading. "We need to get your Ghost back to the City to help him. He won't last like this."

Still weak from the fight, had to lean on Crux for support. "Let's go then." On the outside, she tried to come off as her usual self, but on the inside, guilt was eating her up. He told her that they need to get back to the City for help, but she didn't listen.

"How the hell did that Vex do all that stuff." was what Crux couldn't figure out. "I mean first it takes a storm of bullets then fixes itself like a hobgoblin. Then it can charge up, and attack with arc power like...like..." Crux didn't want to finish.

"Like a Titian?"

"...Yeah..." It sounded worse to him out loud.

The roar of their ship's engines drew closer, but against the night sky they could quite make out where they were. Soon enough they could be seen, two ships coming in hot for a pickup.

"Finally." Crux said relieved. "We need to get back to the Tower, and-" There was flash. Bitsine, and Crux stared up into the stars. A bright purple beam of light lit of the sky for miles around while the two Guardians look on in awe.

"That beam in void power!" Soul warned. The beam extended farther out into the sky, more specific in the direction of the ships on approach. "Oh, shit!" Soul panicked trying to pilot the ships out of the line of fire, but was too late. The beam stuck Bitsine's ship then faded moments later, hitting the back side, destroying the engines, and replacing them with bright orange flames attached to the now free falling cockpit.

"My SHIP!" Bitsine pulled away from Crux, stepping forward, and grasping her head tightly. "God damn it!" The piece of the ship left behind a trail of smoke, next to invisible under the night sky, following it to the up to the point when it hit the ground with another explosion half a mile away. "FUCK!" She stomped the ground, her earlier tiredness all but forgotten, and replaced by rage.

"Soul, what about ours?"

"Working on it." With only one ship left, Soul double timed the engines. For a second they seemed to be in the clear when a second beam was fired. Soul tried her best to evade, but it was for nothing. The beam cut through the middle, splitting it into two burning halves, One of which was heading right for them.

"RUN!" The Guardians kicked dirt, Bitsine trailing behind Crux, narrowly avoiding the burning metal that hit the ground with a bang, dragging itself across the dirt leaving a trench filled with burning metal pieces behind. "Crap." What all Crux could mutter staring at the bonfire that use to be his ship.

"Please tell me we still have our sparrows." Bitsine's said with a low tone.

"Yes." Was Soul's answer.

"Then let's get out of here." Just like that two sparrows were in front of their drivers. "We need to find a place to hide."

Bitsine mounted her's, revving the engines thinking about what Crux said when another light was shined on them. Above them, the Legionless Mind stepped out of the forest onto the edge of the cliff overlooking them, its repaired eye now purple color, beaming at them like a flashlight. What they couldn't see was the state of its arms, the metal partially melted, and burned, thin smoke rising from them.

"FLOOR IT!" Crux hit the throttle hard, Bitsine doing the same no more than half a second later with the sole intention of get the hell away from that thing.

'We need to get help!' Was all that was on Bitsine's mind as they headed deeper into the ruins of the Ishtar Sink.

The Legionless Mind watched them, its eye turning white again as it examined the damage its attack did to its arms. The damage was far more extensive than previous injuries. More than what it could fix on its own. 'Standard repair protocol insufficient. Requesting assistance.' The Vex collective answered its call in the form of another Vex. Materializing before the Mind, a silver-white hobgoblin stood at attention, the golden plating reflecting the light coming from the Mind. The precursor got on one knee, glowing brightly as it begun sacrificing itself, its body vanishing, the material being transferred to the Mind, replacing the damaged limbs with new ones. At first, the new arms were the same color as the Vex they came from, but became the same smooth silver-blue color the Legionless Mind was.

'Replacements sufficient.' It activated its scanners, tracking the energy signature of the sparrows. 'Proceeding with pursuit.'

 **60 Years Ago, The Year 3654**

 **Venus, Vault of Glass**

Deep in the Vex controlled reality of the Vault, A lone figure was on his knees. No longer what he once was, his Vex bronze armor that he crafted from radiolarian parts now acted at his actual skin, impossible to remove.

His Ghost was gone along with Praedyth, both taken by Vex's power over the Vault. They had managed to find a passage to sneak past the Templar, and its impenetrable shields, hoping to find a temporary haven to discuss their next move, but were not so lucky for they found themselves in the maze of the Vault's watchdogs.

Where the Templar had the power, with use of the oracles, to accurately calculate, and counteract the negative effects brought upon by using the negation ritual to erase intruders from history, The watchdogs had the power to erase any threat that entered her vision regardless of whatever consequences, acting as the blunt instruments of the Vex ontological arsenal, and that is how Praedyth fell. Having been spotted by one of the Gorgons, Kabr watch as the Warlock vanished before his eyes along with his Ghost leaving him as the last one standing in the Vault. Pahanin fled for his life when he saw that the Vex had to power to judge what existed, and what didn't. Kabr couldn't blame him. Fleeing sounded like a good idea to him, but that was impossible for him now.

Trapped in the Vault, and the Vex infecting his blood, and brain, Kabr had one last plan before he lost himself. Having killed the Gorgon that rendered him the last one, He brought the pieces of its body to a secluded cave, and began his work reconstructing the Gorgon's body into a new design. Laying on the ground before him was a shield crafted from the thinking flesh of the Vex. The metal was the same bronze color of the Vex, its handle the shaped like an hourglass, perhaps symbolizing the Vex's power over time.

A shield meant to end the threat of Time's Conflux for good, but it was not complete. Its design was finished, but lack the power to do what needed to be done. For that Kabr had to make the ultimate sacrifice. Focusing all his Light, his body glowing brighter than it ever had before, he channeled his power into the Aegis, inscribing his last words into the metal, and turning it into a superweapon of the Light with the power to break the unbreakable. To change one's fate. When it was done, it floated off the ground in front of him, radiating with Kabr's former power.

It was done. His last hope. The hope that Praedyth was told to keep, the hope that Pahanin could not, the hope that Kabr was proud to die for.

Now he had nothing left. Nothing, but one last spark that was soon to fade with the rest of him. He could hear them calling to him. The Vex reaching out to him, wanting him to join them as his conversion was nearing completion. There was a moment of peace. He felt content in his last moments, having made a crack in the Vault's defenses for a future fireteam to take advantage of. The shield would be their deliverance. it seemed like his work was done.

But Atheon had other plans for him.

Kabr could feel the last of himself slipping away, everything that he was being replaced by the Vex programming. His last thoughts, the very last thoughts of Kabr, The Legionless, were that of the yellow stars that sung to him. In his madness, he cracked one open believing that consumption would have given him the strength to prevail. What a fool he was. 'It tasted like the sea...'

That was it. Sensing that its creator had now been fully corrupted, The Aegis vanished, using its own power to hide from the Axis Minds that would try to destroy it, until another warrior of the Light could make use of it, and allow the sands of time to run their proper course.

The Vex stood at attention, its connection to the Vex collective complete, it waited for a new directive, a purpose for it to fulfill. There were many voices, many divisions, and Vex subtypes calling it, wanting it to join, but one stood out. One that silenced them all. It called it to come before the Glass Throne with the purpose it was certain would be best for the former Guardian.

the Vex accepted.

If he spoke again, he was not Kabr.


	35. Chapter 35

Night time Venus, Ishtar Sink

In the ruins of the Ishtar Sink, things had gotten quiet. Before where the factions of the Fallen, Vex, and Guardians would spend their time battling for control of the decaying ruins of Humanities' Golden Age was now silent, apart from the sounds of the local wildlife chirping, or what not. The wind continued to blow through the half-collapsed buildings, foliage that had grown over most of the architecture, and in some cases would find a narrow point formed just the right way to create a chilling ghostly wail that could unnerve even the most savage Fallen.

Weary from the fighting, The House of Winter retreated back to their lair, and outposts to bolster up their defenses. Between the House of Kings incursion weeks ago, and the recent skirmishes against the Vex, and Guardians, they needed time to regroup.

Guardians still continued to have a presence on the planet, sending out patrols, and strick teams to root out potential threats to a lesser extent. With the Fallen withdrawing, for now, there wasn't much reason to focus as many numbers on the planet as before, allowing the Vanguard to redirect the unneeded surplus to other areas such as mars, and to reinforce the base they had established on Luna which continues to be a target for the Hive.

But the Vex... Venus was theirs. Maybe not to the extent that Mercury, or the planetoid Nessus was, but there was no mistaking it. They had already infected the planet, begun the process of turning it into one of their many machine planets in their network as the Pattern demanded. The process had been slowed down for a time, the destruction of the Nexus Mind was a huge part in it, but that was not the end of it. The Vex existed on thousands of worlds that they converted, in dozens of realities that they infected, finding a suitable replacement construct would be simple enough.

And with the master of the Vault writing out the final designs of the Vex's plans, The City, the Reef, and every other faction in the solar system would be consumed by the Pattern. It continued its work undisturbed, waiting for its sword to return.

Said sword was continuing its own work. leisurely stepping through the ruins that towered over it, The Legionless Mind was searching. Using its eye as a flashlight, the Vex prowled the surrounding area, scanning for the two Guardians that only temporarily escaped its grasp. It tracked the energy signature of the sparrows, relying on the speed boost its power granted it to give chase, but wasn't quick enough.

The trail had gone cold, the two must have abandoned their vehicles. Most likely the small constructs accompanying them caught on to its method, and advised them to go on foot. It didn't matter. With no ships, they couldn't escape the planet, and with the female in her condition they couldn't have gotten far, Probably hiding somewhere nearby. It looked for anything, any indication of where they might have gone.

Clouds past across the night sky. It had considered calling Vex units to aid in the search, but past engagements reasoned that lesser units tended to get in the way. Still, though they might be helpful searching. That was until it picked up the scent. Several yards away, its scanners registered some recently disturbed soil. Upon closer inspection, they were footprints. The patterns on the soles matching the ones created by the Exo duo. They lead into what the Vex classified as a "Hospital", half-ruined, and overgrown vegetation like the rest of the colony.

Records indicated there were multiple entryways that could also serve as potential escapes. It seemed the lesser units would have their use. The Legionless Mind marched forward through the main entrance, the glass doors long since have been destroyed, clouds forming behind it creating shiny, white, and gold patterned precursor Vex that hit the ground weapons ready. A hydra, and minotaurs held the doors, goblins patrolled the area, and hobgoblins took sniper positions. They had their directive, "Nothing leaves except the Mind"

Inside the abandoned facility, two Exos were hiding. Their Ghosts warned them that the Vex was tracking the energy their sparrows gave off. Bitsine hadn't recovered yet, her Ghost too damaged to do anything Bitsine asked Crux if he could take him into his inventory so Soul could try to help. Soul, of course, was willing to do whatever she could to help, but had no experience with Ghosts as damage as he was. Still, she was going to try.

They found an operating room in the upper levels, intact for the most part. Soul managed to revive some of the power for some lighting, the chipping paint, and rusted operating equipment clear signs that the place had seen better days. So did the former staff if the skeletons were any indication.

After pushing off the remains of a former patient, Bitsine made the operating table her place of rest, which to Crux was incredibly disturbing given the situation. sitting down, she ran her arms up, and down her body, applying pressure here, and there to find where it hurts. As much of a pain as it could be, having sensors to let her feel pain had its uses.

Wincing after checking her side, the Titian started removing her armor by hand to Crux's surprise. "You need some privacy?"

"Why? You think there something to look at?" She teased, dropping her chest piece to the floor.

Crux stuttered, averting his eyes. "N-N-No, no, no! I just thought you want to have alone time for this."

"Right now, being alone is the last thing I want. Not with that bastard out there looking for us. That thing can fight." Her armor off, Bitsine lifted up the suit that covered her mechanical body to see the damage. It revealed leaking cracked metal plating, pieces chipping off from the removal of the suit. "That doesn't look good. Can you take a look?"

"Uh..." Crux stared at the women, unsure how to answer.

Bitsine sighed, "Come on, you have permission to touch me."

hesitantly, Crux walked up to her, leaning closer to get a better view of the wound. His eyes giving him some light he gave it a gentle touch, blue liquid coming out the hole staining his finger. "Doesn't look too bad. I might be able to give you a patch job."

"Really?"

"I might not be a doctor, or mechanic, or whatever, but I do know a thing or two about fixing a battle wound." Crux left for a bit to rummage through some containers, and cabinets, looking for anything that might make a good adhesive. "Here we go." After finding what he was looking for, he returned to Bitsine with a small bottle in had. It was old to be sure, but Golden Age adhesive had an incredibly long shelf life. Now he just needed to seal the leak which meant getting more hand on. Soul might have been able to do it herself, but she was currently focused on keeping her brother alive.

"Okay, Bitsine, I'm going to have to stick my fingers inside to fix the leak. Are you okay with that?"

Bitsine leaned to her other side to give him better access. She attempted using her arm for support, but pain in her upper arm made her retract it. "Do it."

Acknowledging, Crux went in, taking off some loose hanging metal pieces, and found the problem. A slightly cut wire connected to her main power core was dripping coolant. "Here we go." With one hand he squeezed the wire to close the leak. Ignoring the shallow whimpers coming from Bitsine, he applied the adhesive, staying in that position for a few seconds as he watched it harden then let go, giving Bitsine a chance to breath easy so to speak. "Feeling better?"

"I will be when this damn hole is gone." She moved her hand to cover the hole in her side. "Anything you can do?"

Crux looked at the hole, then down at the chipped off metal that fell then back again. An idea formed in his head. "Maybe." He picked up the fallen pieces, and tried to put them back on her side. Using the adhesive to stick them back, Crux kept his hand on the patch job until the substance hardened. "That should do for now. At least until a Ghost can fix you up."

The pain easing, Bitsine felt relief though much of her body still hurt, most likely further internal damage caused by the Vex. "That thing hits hard."

"Yeah," Crux rubbed his abdomen, remembering how he was sent flying. "It does. So where did it come?"

"You're asking me? I don't got a clue. As far as I know, Vex are supposed to be those slow, predictable robots that are easy to kill, not what that was."

"Well, it had to come from somewhere. I heard that the Vex can time travel so... maybe it came from the future?"

"I doubt it," Soul disembodied voice announced, "Files taken from the Vex said that the Legionless Mind has been around for years."

"Soul!" Bitsine was delighted to hear her voice, "How's my Ghost doing?"

"Stable for now, but I need to keep my connection to him intact or else he'll get worse, and he'll only get better once were at the Tower. There's equipment there that was built for situations like this. That also means I can't heal you right now. The divergence in power might weaken the connection."

"That's fine, just keep him alive."

The two Guardians stayed where they were, waiting for their backup to arrive. Bitsine reattached her armor piece by piece, being extra careful not to cause herself more pain. Crux adored his helmet once more, standing guard by the room entrance, looking down the halls for a certain unwanted Vex.

When Bitsine was done, she laid down on the operating table, the event that led up to this moment replayed in her head over, and over. It was her fault. She didn't listen to her Ghost, and now he was dying, their ships were blown to hell, and now they were stuck in some run down hospital hiding from some mutant, or whatever the hell kind of Vex chasing. "I'm so sorry."

In Crux's inventory, The Light of two Ghosts were intertwined. Being inside a Guardian's inventory was different from being outside. Matter transformed into data loaded into the complex data streams perfectly woven into a Guardian's armor thanks to many accomplishments of the Golden Age, as well as the use of the Traveler's Light. Since technically they weren't material beings at the moment, they couldn't truly feel anything like they could in reality, but they could detect, and read the machine language of whatever their Guardians had was turned into, including other Ghosts.

Even as data, Bitsine's Ghost wasn't doing well. The damage he sustained, now presented as corrupted information, was not being repaired, just being kept from getting worse. He slipped in, and out of consciousness every now, and again, the main company he had being Soul whose own Light was very comforting. In the background, he made out Bitsine's whispers, Hearing her talk about her part in the situation. She sounded so sad, so guilty. Did she really think this was her fault? She couldn't blame herself. "...Bitsine..." He barely had enough energy to get that out.

"Don't talk," Soul said, "We'll be out of here eventually. Just rest."

He didn't want to rest. His Guardian was in a rough patch, and needed comfort, but he couldn't do it. Not in his condition. Not when he could barely speak. 'Bitsine...'

Outside, Crux continued standing guard, finger tapping the side of his Last Word, Turning around every minute, or so to see how Bitsine was doing. Seeing her lying down with her arms crossed over her stomach put him at ease a bit. After what she went through she definitely needed it. "How are you feeling now?"

Bitsine rolled her head to the side to look at him. "Better thanks to you." she smiled.

Crux returned the smile, not that she could see through his helmet. "That's just me, Crux-14. Sharpshooter, gentlemen, medic, etc."

Bitsine laughed, "Medic? Really? I'm pretty sure a medic wouldn't need to go rifling through cabinets to find supplies. They would already have what they need."

"Thanks for the advice. Now I know better for next time. Might even go to medical school."

Bitsine laughed harder, stopping after a few seconds from the pain. "Stick with shooting things."

Crux chuckled, nodding before resuming his watch when he heard something. Bitsine was still having a laugh before Crux shushed her. "What is it?" All joy that Bitsine was feeling vanished. She sat up, dragging her legs over the edge of the table

"Not sure," Crux kept his voice low, "Stay quiet." He shut his eyes, focusing on any sound his receptors could pick up. At first, there was nothing, but then it came back. A clanking sound like metal on tile, faint at first, but grew louder as seconds when by. It was steady, rhythmic like... "Footsteps."

"what?"

"Stay here. I'll check it out." Crux left at a slow pace to avoid causing a ruckus, leaving Bitsine to wait alone for his return.

"Be safe." She whispered knowing that was impossible.

Crux wandered down the hallway, passing empty rooms, and leftover gurneys that still had the skeletal remains of former patients. Trash littered the floor, pieces of ceiling, and walls had rotted away leaving big holes, and chunks of ceiling on the ground. The footsteps matched Crux's step by step, the sounds echoing in his head. He turned a corner, narrowly bumping into a cart carrying an assortment of medicine bottles, and equipment, stopping when he came up to a window overlooking the main lobby. The glass was broken, pieces laying on the ground, leaving sharp, jagged edges around the frame waiting for some clumsy fool to trip, and get his neck cut open.

Crux pressed his back against the wall, holding his Last Word close to him. Leaning closer to the window, butterflies flew around inside him, memories of their recent defeat making him edgy. Scared. With Bitsine in her condition, getting into a fight would prove disastrous, especially if it was that thing. His vision peaked out, at first he saw the adjacent platforms across the dark open space that presided over the main lobby downstairs. Looking down, the night vision his helmet was equipped with showed the main lobby just as decrepit as the rest of the building. Trash scattered around, broken waiting chairs, and skeletons.

But what really disturbed him was the sound. clank, clank, clank. It continued over, and over. Crux scanned the floor below, so far not seeing the source when a bright white light lit the place up. Blinded with the night vision on, the Hunter pulled his head back, shutting his eyes before Soul deactivated the night vision. At first, it had gotten quiet, only the wind outside could be heard then it started again. Dipping into his reserves of courage, Crux dared look out again, following the light to its origin point at the main entrance.

The Legionless Mind examined the lobby, scanning, and registering everything that came into view. The darkness meant nothing to it, the light from its eye chasing it away. It scanned everything around it, looking for any trail it could follow when it managed to pick up a pattern. A trail of trash, and dust recently disturbed, kicked about like somebody walked through it. The direction it leads was traced to the stairwell leading to the upper levels. It picked up the scent.

Crux's eyes widened, watching the Vex follow the path they took to hide. "Fuck!" he muttered quietly.

"Crux, we have to go!" Soul told him.

"Yeah, no shit!" Crux took his back off the wall, turning to head back the way he came. In a rush, he passed the cart again, wanting to get Bitsine, and get the hell out of there. So focused on escape, he wasn't paying attention when his elbow knocked over a glass bottle that was sitting on the cart. The glass breaking on the floor sent a shiver up his body, the same kind you get when you're sure you just signed your own death warrant.

He didn't move, silently praying that it went unheard. The sound of footsteps coming faster kill those hopes. "Shit!" Throwing stealth out the window, Crux booked it, bumping into a stretcher making it fall on it side.

Bitsine, hearing some ruckus, got off the table, heading to the door to check it out right when Crux showed up, and bumped into her, knocking them both down. The fall made Bitsine wounds act up, putting her in a world of hurt. "Ahhh, Damn it!" Bitsine curled up, wincing in pain. "What the hell?"

Crux scrambled to his feet, grabbing the Titian by her elbow, and yanking her up. "We've been made! Got to go!"

The pain was bad enough, but that news was worse. Finding her footing, Bitsine wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and the two took as fast as they could with the Titian in her condition. They hobbled down the hall, away from the source of the clanking behind them, pushing anything in their path out of the way, or pulling them down behind them as a way to slow their pursuer down if only for a moment. "There got to be another exit!" Bitsine said.

"Go right at the next corner, and there should be a stairwell a few doors down on the left you can take down to an emergency exit." Soul informed using her scanners to get a lay of the building.

With no other options, the Guardians decided to follow Soul's directions. They were about to make the turn when Crux felt something hot pierce the shoulder he supported Bitsine with. The force of the impact cause Crux topple over, taking the wounded Bitsine down with him, the sound of their armor hitting the floor echoing. "Ah, Fuck!" Crux turned over on his back to see the shooter.

The Legionless Mind stood at the other end of the hall, its nearly blind eye illuminating the space in from of it, heat radiating from the barrel of its line rifle. "Targets reacquired."

"Crap!" Thinking fast, the Hunter kicked a nearby wheelchair, blocking the next shot that came at them. He got up, aiming his Last Word, and firing. The bullets did little to hurt the Vex, but then again Crux knew that would happen. His real target was its weapon. After several unsuccessful tries, he hit his mark. A bullet punctured the metal of the gun, lodging itself into the barrel, clogging it. "Come on! I'll cover you!" Crux pulled Bitsine up, pushing her ahead of him while he stayed behind to stall it.

The Legionless mind examined the gun, paying no mind to the metal that continued to strike it. Tossing it aside, it checked it energy reserves. Using its abilities tended to drain its power. The problem was being improved over time, but it still had to monitor its energy levels. "Energy reserves: Sufficient." Electricity dances along its armor.

"Shit." The Vex charged with lightning speed, obliterating any inanimate object unlucky enough to be in its way. Crux jumped out of the way, the Vex smashing through the wall ahead of it leaving a nice big hole, and a cloud of dust. The loud crashing made Bitsine turn around to see the damage, and Crux getting away. "Keep going!"

The Legionless Mind busted out of the wreckage, enlarging the hole it made, and smash the floor with its fist, sending a torrent of arc power in the direction of its targets.

Seeing the stream of death coming, and the stairs they were looking for, Crux picked up the pace, tackling Bitsine through the slightly ajar door, breaking it off the hinges, and sending the two Exos tumbling down the stairs. Crux held onto her, taking the brunt of it until they came to a stop. "Damn! You could have given me some warning." Bitsine said in pain.

"No time." They got up, heading down to the first floor. Crux kicked the door open. "Which way!?"

"Head left," Soul said.

They did as she said, making their way to freedom. It seemed like a clean getaway. Halfway through, the building around them started to rumble.

The Legionless Mind, that was still a few floors up, decided to make its own path to follow them. It smashed right through the floor, the age-old unmaintained material giving way. The process repeated several times before it hit the bottom level, debris following it down the hole it made for itself.

Crux looked back wide-eyed. "God damn, that thing's persistent!"

The Vex was about to resume it assault when something happened. The intense vibrations combined with the structural damage severely weaken the structural integrity of the building. It started of as a type of metal groaning sound that soon escalated to one of the floors above them collapsing onto the next. The sudden increase in weight made the next floor fall as well, then the next, then finally hit the bottom.

The two Guardians got out of the way just in time, a pile of debris blocking the path between the two side, a dust cloud filling the air. "Let's go." They continued for a few more steps then heard another crash. "Damn it."

The Legionless Mind smashed through the wall deciding it would be too much hassle to go through the debis, and was now back in the main lobby.

Crux let Bitsine go. "Bitsine, Keep going. I'll buy you time."

"What!?" Bitsine said shocked.

"What the hell are you thinking!?" Soul asked near outraged.

"Don't argue." Crux held out his hand, the two Ghost he had on hand with him materializing. Bitsine's Ghost, still too damaged to take flight, rested in the palm of his hand while Soul maintained the connection they had. "Go with Bitsine. Get out of here." His voice completely serious.

"Are you out of your motherfucking mind!?" Soul was sure he was becoming demented. "How long do you think you'll last without a Ghost!?"

"Probably not much longer than if you're with me? That Vex knows what it's doing. If you come you'll just get killed, and Bitsine Ghost too, but this way you two will have a chance. You can find another Guardian, but Every Ghost is irreplaceable."

"No, screw that! I didn't get your ass off Mars just too-" Crux grabbed her, and handed both Ghosts to Bitsine.

"Get going." Crux armed his Last Word, and went for a doorway that lead to the lobby. Before leaving he took one last look at the three. They couldn't see it, but he gave them a smile, followed by a quick salute before heading off.

"Crux? Crux!? Crux, you son of a bitch!" Soul was losing it. "Don't you fucking leave you bastard! We're getting out of here together!" She tried to shake herself loose of Bitsine, but her grip was firm. "Let go! he can't do it alone!"

Bitsine stared at doorway her friend went through, completely oblivious to Soul's continued demands for freedom. This made two. Two friends whose lives were in Jeopardy because of her. Her carelessness is what left her Ghost vulnerable to being hurt, and unable to heal her wounds, and because of that she was slowing them down, and now Crux... "Damn it."

Soul thrashed around in her hand, trying to get free to rejoin her Guardian. "He'll die without help!"

"I know." Bitsine walk in the other direction with a slight limp. "We have to go."

"No, please!" Soul pleaded.

"You heard him. he's doing this for us. to give us a chance." Bitsine did her best to keep her voice from breaking.

"But-"

"Soul, please" It was Bitsine's turn to plead. "If you go with him, my Ghost won't survive."

Soul was about to argue again when her words sunk in. Her Ghost would die without her. She was the only thing keeping him alive right now. The range their connection had was limited. If she went tries to follow Crux, that connection will break then... 'He'll die.'

The words Crux shared with here played back in her mind. "You can find another Guardian, but Every Ghost is irreplaceable."

She wanted to deny it, to say that it wasn't true, but it was. When a Ghost dies, that's it. They were not blessed with self-resurrection like a sun-singing Warlock. There were no new Ghosts being made. Their kind was finite. But Guardians could be found out in the wastes that lone Ghosts dare traveled in search of a partner. Just waiting for one to find them. 'That doesn't mean that's what I want.'

Soul ceased her fidgeting, sucking in her emotions to say, "Fine." Giving up, Soul disappeared with Bitsine's Ghost into the safety of Bitsine's inventory. "Let's go," she said, her voice devoid of emotion.

Bitsine picked up the pace. "I'm sorry."

Crux traveled down the hall knowing it might be the last thing he might ever do. It was funny. He always thought he'd probably met his end on Luna being dragged down the Hellmount kicking, and screaming while the hive fed on his light like so many others he saw go down during the Great disaster, or blown to hell on Mars by the Cabal as payback for that ship he stole. But instead, he was willingly walking to it in some decaying, moldy ruin on Venus. "Oh, well. At least it took a super Vex to take me down."

Following the faded signs on the walls, he found the lobby, hearing the sound of Vex moment inside. "Let's do this." Holding his breath he rushed in, pointing his gun in several directions, finding a familiar eye looking back at him. "Hey, miss me?"

The Legionless mind looked right at the Exo. "Target reacquired." It checked it power levels again. 'Energy reserves acceptable.' Its body charged with arc power again, the eye at the center of hits head turning white-blue.

turning off his night vision, Crux switched on the flashlight built into his helmet to avoid being blinded, making out the silver-blue shading of the Vex's armor. "Yeah, you've been looking for my sweet ass haven't you." he patted he behind. "Well come get me, motherfucker." Crux pulled the trigger, the barrel flash lit up the room.

the bullet bounce of the metal with a spark, initiating the fight. The Vex dashed forward, its speed turning it into a blur. Crux used his Light to jump out of the way, spinning in the air to continue shooting. The mind slammed into the wall making another hole that rocked the building. More impacts on its back making it turn around to see the Hunter trying to keep his distance. "Changing tactics." Two slap rifles appeared in its hands, aiming both then firing a torrent of Vex fire.

"Oh shit." Crux ran, returning fire while trying not to get shot. The return fire did little to bother it as it stood still while shooting. The Legionless mind ran simulations on Crux's movements, determining the most likely path he was going to take. Adjust one arm, it firing into the path directly ahead of him, using the other one to keep him running. Crux took time away from reloading on the move to look in front of him. "Uh, oh." he slid across the floor, narrowly avoiding getting shot up.

Seeing an opportunity, the Vex switch out one rifle with a line rifle, firing a single shot on the prone Hunter. Hearing the sound Crux let his body go limp, the shot an inch away from nailing his head. He kicked over a nearby table, giving himself some cover to shoot from behind. It from to be a decent barrier, stopping the following energy bolts from striking him. Switching to his 1000-Yard Stare, he zoomed in with the scope, prematurely firing when he ducked from another potential headshot.

The round pierced the Vex's armor, embedding itself into the shoulder. In response, it dropped both its weapons, bringing its hand up to its chest when its eye glowed purple. Void power orbs formed in its hands, scattering in the air after being thrown in Crux's direction.

It might have been a new Vex, but Crux could recognize a grenade when he saw one. "Oh shit!" the bombs detonated on impact, ultimately shredding the cover he was using to pieces. Unable to outrun them in time, Crux was blown away by the force, landing on another table some feet away then rolled onto the floor with a thud. His brain rattled, he didn't notice the table next to him being lifted up, and thrown away like nothing. He tried to get up, a metal hand grabbing his neck, slamming his face back into the floor then throwing him across the room into a pile of junk. Landing on top an old chair, the sound of it breaking filled the room. "If I survive this, I'm totally gonna have back problems."

His thoughts refocused at the sound of lighting, the Legionless mind jumping into the air, both hand together preparing to land on the Hunter with fists infuse with electric havoc. In no position to get out of the way in time, Crux channeled his light into his hand, creating a smoke grenade. Throwing it, it barely managed to stick to the side, turning into a cloud of hindering smoke. Just like that the Legionless Mind's power was disabled reverting it back to its standard appearance. Memories of his time using that in the Crucible flooded his mind. He laughed remembering how many fellow Guardians thinking they had him with their Light only for a little smoke to ruin all their dreams. Unfortunately, this time his sense of nostalgia would not end well. While the grenade did suppress the Vex's power, it did not negate gravity's effect on it.

"OHHH!" The Vex landed right ontop him, the sheer weight of it enough to break his chest armor, and cracking his metal body underneath. It bounced off him, landing on its back, the effects of the smoke hindering its movement, keeping it from getting back up for a few seconds. "AHHH!" Crux howled in pain, gripping his chest. Trying to get up, pieces of his armor flacked off hitting the floor. Crux found himself unable to say anything. The pain was so great that even mutter a sound made it worse. 'Is this what its like to have your ribs broken.'

Elsewhere, Bitsine was making slow, but sure progress. The sounds of gunfire, and explosions echoed from down the hall, the most recent thing she heard was Crux howling which was not a good sign.

'Damn it, Crux.' Soul tried to focus on her sibling, failing to do so with the fight being heard.

Following the signs on the walls, Bitsine found what she was looking for, more or less. "So our escape plan is a big hole."

"Yup."

As Bitsine said, their way out of there was a massive hole in the side of the hospital. Judging by the burnt outer side, and the positioning of the nearby scrape around in conjunction with the entrance it must have been caused by an explosion. But whatever the case it was their key to escape. "Let get out of-" The moment Bitsine was able to see the inside of the tunnel that lead to the outside, she saw that there was a rather unwelcoming party waiting on the other side. "Shit!"

White, and gold plated Vex opened fire on the Titian, Goblins, and Minotaurs pouring everything they had to stop her from going further. Bitsine got away as fast she could. "Damn it, they got the exits blocked. Is there another way?"

"Yes, but chances are that-" Soul never got to finish.

More energy shots came from behind. Turning around Bitrsine laid eyes on those odd fancy looking Vex coming through the woodwork. "They're following us." Equipping her Sawtooth Oscillator, Bitsine mowed the robots down, relying on short bursts, her condition making her unable to handle holding the trigger down.

In the Lobby, Crux managed to get back up, the pain fading he looked over at the Vex still having trouble getting back on its feet. "Nightstalker, Bitch."

The Legionless Mind turned its head to the side, see the Hunter a good distance away, armed with something else. Something loaded with explosive ordinance.

Crux Leveled the weapon on his side, hands on the wooden grips, the blue, and gold design reflecting the light coming from the only entities in the dark room. "And this is my Prospector." He spun the drum magazine filled with eight bombs, liking the sound it made. It had been a while since he last used the grenade launcher, and now seemed like as good of a time as any. "How do you like me now?" He fired, its eye turned purple.

The sound of bombs being shot out of the barrel was like a Symphony to him. Small metal balls of death following a gentle pumping sound that repeated eight times, flying through the air towards their intended target. Crux smiled like an idiot. He forgot what it felt like to use it. 'I've got to use it more often.'

There was a flash, a lavender-colored aura illuminated the darkness that surrounded them, bright enough that a flashlight was not needed. The first bomb detonated, then another, and another, each one making a cloud of smoke combining together, making it next to impossible to see through, aside from the glow shining through the thinner layers. Crux tightened his grip in angst, the cloud dissipating to reveal something that would be seared into his memory for years to come.

The Legionless mind, up after the effects of the smoke bomb wore off, stood in the center of a bubble. A lavender colored energy barrier protecting it from harm. Void power flowed off the barrier, vanished inches away from the origin point.

Crux arms dropped, his Prospector hanging lossy from his hand. "You got to be fucking kidding. You got a Ward of Dawn too?"

"Defensive measures: effective." The Legionless Mind held its arms out, hands touching the smooth energized surface, and begun absorbing the excess energy back into its body. In amazement, Crux watched the sphere get sucked into its hands, the surface looking like it was being pulled inside then vanished, leaving the Vex with a dim glow before returning to normal. "Energy levels: replenished." It looked right at Crux with an answer to his question. "Largely unimpressed."

"Fuck you." The Vex charge up with arc power. "Okay then, we'll do it your way." Crux put his grenade launcher away. standing barehanded, electricity danced along his body in a blue aura, a machete size blade forming in his right hand. Putting his left leg forward, he held out his free hand taunting it to attack. "Come get me."

For a moment, the Legionless Mind's eye flashed red. "Request accepted."

In a blur, it was right in front of him, taking a swing for his head. Crux ducked, bringing his arm around to slash its chest. The Vex, seeing the counterattack, jump back a step, the tip of the knife leaving a small cut on its chassis. Focusing power on its leg, it stomped the floor to create a shockwave to throw Crux off balance. He jumped forward to avoid it, spinning over the mind, and grazing the top of its head, landing on the other side then throwing a solar knife laced with arc. The Vex leaned out of the way, grabbing the edge of a table then spun around, slamming it into Crux, knocking him down.

dazed, but not out, the Hunter sat up in time to see the Vex in the air attempting to bring its fists down on him again. At the last second, Crux blinked, disappearing from the point of impact. After it landed with a thunderous pound, its target reappeared directly above it, landing, and latching onto it back then jamming his knife into it, almost puncturing straight through its body. The flow of electricity coming from the blade caused it to freak out, thrashing its body in every direction attempting to get the invasive intruder of it.

Crux held on tight, grunting every time it rammed him against the wall, or reached behind to pull him off. "What do you think of me now!" Enough was enough. With the damage it systems were taking, It had to get him off. Intentionally it fell backward, pinning Crux to the floor. Despite the pressure he was feeling, he was sure he had it where he wanted. At his mercy. That was until it started getting really hot. "What are you doing?"

"Initiating system repair." Its eye turned bright orange, the rest of its body followed suit, engulfing it in a solar aura.

It became clear that Crux's plan backfired. Unable to get out from under it, he was forced to endure the burning sensation coming from his opponent ontop him. the heat scorching the armor touching it, and passing through, singeing the metal body inside. "AHHH! GET OF ME! GET OF ME! AAGGHH!"

The knife in its back vanished, whatever damage it sustained repaired itself, and the individual that wouldn't let go finally did. "Repairs complete." The Legionless Mind got back up, turning around to see its next victim lying on the ground. "Recalculating threat assessment."

Crux's body twitched in agony, his Neuroghast armor burned, and part of his Exo body partly melted on the inside. He could move, every attempt too painful to get anywhere. Even speaking felt like was going to make him fall apart. "Come (cough) on. Is that... all you (cough) got? agh."

Nope. It grabbed him by the ankle, lifting him over its head, and slammed into the ground like a hammer. Crux felt his damaged body crack from the force pieces of his insides shaking loose, leaking a combination of fluids out. It didn't stop there. Crux was tossed around, beaten, and picked apart. Without his Ghost, he could heal, couldn't get up to defend himself as the Vex exacted vengeance upon him, It eye bright red the whole time. It picked up his broken body by the neck, walking over to one of the few remaining pieced of furniture that survived the fight, and used him to break it to pieces.

One the ground, Crux mustard whatever strength he had left to pull out his knife, wincing in pain the entire time, to use it against it, but it was naught. The Legionless Mind kicked out of his hand, breaking a few fingers in the process, and stepped on his arm. The same one he used to stab it. It increased the pressure, Crux howling as it bent down to grabbed his forearm, and pulled, snapping the metal, and wiring connecting it to the rest of him. With one last jerk, it was off, sparks flying out of the elbow. It tossed the appendage aside, examining its satisfying work. "Target incapacitated. Threat level: none."

Crux did say anything, fading in, and out of consciousness as his body was failing, unable to continue supporting him for long. 'Guess this is my last stop.' He managed a chuckle. All things considered, there were far worse ways to go. It knelt down, grabbing his helmet to pull it off. Crushing it, the flashlight attached shut off leaving Crux with only the Vex's eye as a source of light. His red eyes flickered, the white lines on his head scuffed, his left antenna broken off. "It (cough) doesn't look... to bad right (cough)?" It stepped on his chest, putting the majority of its weight on it. Crux could feel his metal chest crack, threatening to cave in. "Guess... so."

Bitsine was knee deep in shit. Despite gunning down the first wave of Vex that follow her back inside, more kept coming. She currently was cornered in the employee break room, using the tables as a makeshift barricade to block the doors. She hid behind the counter, reloading her machine gun all the while hearing the robots chasing her pounding on the doors. "Got any ideas?"

"Not really." Soul in truth wasn't in the mood for ideas. Try as she might, she couldn't get Crux off her mind.

Bitsine peaked over the counter, the blockade still holding, but shook with every hit the Vex gave it, occasionally switching to gunfire. She doubt some goblins, or hobgoblins could break through, but it a minotaur decided to give it a try... "Last Stand." She mounted the Sawtooth Oscillator on the counter, giving in one last cock. "Okay then. Bring it."

The sound of the Vex grew more intense. They really wanted her dead. Bitsine fingers tapped the sides of the gun anxiously. Even if she was going to die, she'd prefer to get it over with instead of waiting around. She considered throwing a grenade open it for them, maybe taking out a few of them in the process when something happened. The sounds of guns shooting could be heard down the hall from the break room, however, this was not the typical kind she would expect from Vex weaponry. It sounded more like... "Shotguns?"

The Legionless mind took its foot off Crux. Done waiting, it equipped a line rifle. "Commencing termination." It raised its weapon, ready to deliver the final blow when something happened. The precursor Vex were engaged with new variables.

'Paracausl entities detected.' Using its connection to the lesser Vex, The legionless mind started collecting data on the new hostiles.

Quantity: 4'

'2 classified as "Warlock." Species: Human, Females.'

'1 classified as "Titian." Species: Awoken, male.'

'1 classified as "Hunter." Species: ...'

There was a bright blue flash, that's when it realized that one of the variables suddenly vanished from its previous location, and was now... "Danger!" At the last moment, it activated its power, narrowly avoiding getting sliced in two by the arc sword that swung at the space it was standing in. Its feet grinded against the floor coming to a screeching halt, knees bent ready to move again when needed. looking up, the eye, now white-blue, started scanning the being that was now in between it, and its victim. "Eliksni, male."

Valiantly standing his ground for the sake of his friend, Pekis twirled the arc sword in his hand, readying himself in a defensive position, his cloak waving in the open air. "You Speak?" The glare he gave off burned with an intensity equal to the power that created an electric aura around him. Eyeing up the Vex before him, it was clear that it was no machine of hate. The design, color, movement all suggested that it was something different. Something unique. But most of all, the power it had. The machine gave off the same kind of energy he did, although clearly, it was no Bladedancer. He might have been a recently forged Guardian, but he had experienced enough, both in his old life, and new, to recognize it.

Aepvis pick up on it as well. Going over the scans Soul shared with him, and comparing them to what he was getting himself, there was no mistaking it. "Pekis, that Vex... It has... It actually has..." Aepvis was in too much disbelief to continue. It couldn't actually be true. There was no way.

"The Light." Despite knowing full well it had to be true, Pekis also found himself doubting his own words. "You possess the Light."

Crux, barely clinging onto consciousness, overheard what Pekis said. 'Damn it. I was right.'

"CRUX!" The voices of two Guardians as they entered the Lobby helped Crux wake up. Two familiar voices.

Ellie, and Avez bursted into the room weapons drawn. Seeing there comrade dying on the floor, they rushed to his aid with a certain relieve, frantic, and equally pissed Ghost in tow. "YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

Aven took position beside Pekis, holding his Grim Citizen III in a death grip, giving his enemy a death glare from behind his helmet. Ellie knelt down beside Crux, letting Soul out to do her job. "You can help him, can't you?" Ellie said fearfully that she might be witnessing the end of her friend.

"Of course, assuming he isn't going to try, and abandon me again!"

"Then do it!" Pekis didn't take his eyes off the Vex for a moment, prepared to strike should it make the first move.

The Legionless Mind, now outnumbered, began recalculating its odds, all the while focusing its scanners on the second Hunter. "Warning: Energy beyond average levels of others of the same classification."

Ellie's, and Avez eyes shot open. "It can talk?"

"Yes. Be ready." Pekis ordered. "It wields the Light."

"What!?" Avez was totally dumbstruck. This Vex had a connection to the Traveler's Light?

"Trust me, it's worse when it used on you." Crux sat up with Ellie help, his wounds healed, but was incredibly sore. No way he could help anymore. "I don't think I can fight."

"Ellie, get him out of here," Avez told her. "Pekis, and I will deal with this thing."

"Okay. Come on Crux." Ellie helped him up, carrying supporting him on her shoulder as he made their way out.

The Legionless Mind paid no mind to them. As far as it was concerned, there was only one that required its attention. 'Requesting recommended actions.'

In the Vex underworld, Time's Conflux could see all the timelines connected to it, including the threats that emerged within them. And there was no miscalculation. There was no mistake of the threat this abnormal Eliksni posed. He could unravel the Pattern. 'New Directive: Make priority target.'

Zooming in on Pekis, The Legionless Mind said, "Directive accepted." Before anyone could think about what it meant, It was right in front of Pekis.

"Pekis!" Avez was caught off guard by the Vex's speed.

Pekis too was surprised, but kept a level head. Up close, the two were, more or less, equal size. His heartbeat pounded loud enough that the noise was in his ear. The Vex, fully charged, went on the attack, Its own power clashing with Pekis at close proximity. Pekis' trained senses became hyper-focused, everything seemingly slowing down around him, locked in a vicious staredown. Pekis swung his left blade, missing when his target ducked. Crouching, the Mind went for an uppercut, its power increasing in intensity when he vanished again, its arm punching the open are sending electricity in the same direction. The hunter reappeared behind, the position giving him the perfect angle.

The Mind's reflexes kick in, Spinning around in time to block his arm, holding onto it, and raising leg for a roundhouse to his side. Vibrations of pain traveled up his spine, the two sources of Light flashing greatly from the aggression. Wrapping his lower arm around the leg to hold it in place, he brought down his upper right. In too awkward a position to pull free, it leaned back, placing both hands on the floor, kicking the other leg off the ground, and using the momentum to do a reverse cartwheel, pulling Pekis along with it, throwing him off. He spun in the air, adjusting to dig both swords into the floor to slow his momentum.

Avez decided to get involved, going in his body glowed bright blue as well. Recovered from its acrobatics, It registered the incoming attack, parrying the first fist Avez through, and locking its arm around his, increasing the pressure until his bone broke, eliciting a cry a pain before it was stopped by a blow to the chest. The force pushed Avez to the ground, clenching his arm.

The annoyance dealt with, the Legionless Mind turned its attention back to the main objective when it saw a long blade like object coming right at it. It moved out of the way, the arc sword passing it by and instead forcing its way through several walls before disappearing. Pekis blinked above it, slashing at its head, taking a horn off. Detecting structural damage, it zipped away, pouncing after stopping with a powered fist ready. Pekis' feet hit the floor running, Picking Avez up, and out of harm's way of the following explosion.

Jade finished healing Avez's arm when Pekis came to a stop, and let him down. "Thanks."

"Lat-" Pekis was punched into the next floor, Avez swatted away by a metal hand whose body followed the Hunter. Getting up Avez wasn't about to be kicked to the sidelines so he pursued.

Meanwhile, Ellie, and Crux rendezvoused with Kelly, and her injured friend. Kelly's Ghost took over for Soul so she could get back to Crux. Just in time too. "You stupid piece of retarded metal!" needless to say she was not happy. She hadn't stopped her angry rant since getting Crux to safety.

"Is he alright?" Kelly asked, kneeling next to Bitsine.

"More or less," Ellie answered, nonchalantly.

"You almost died you dumbass! What's next? you gonna let the Hive torture you for days while I watch!?" Crux couldn't help, but laugh. "What the hell is so funny!?"

Crux held his hand out to see Soul in his hand. His face was one of genuine relief. Before she knew it, his fingers latched onto her, pressing her body against his shoulder close to his neck. "I missed you too."

All her ranting ceased. This warm gesture placating any further resentment she had against him. "Well, um..." She pretended not to be touched by the moment. "Don't do that again, Or else Avez will be in charge of bad jokes." She wiggled free, putting some space between them.

"Well, we can't have that." He joked. He looked at Kelly, "How is she?"

"Peachy," Bitsine answered.

"Her Ghost is in critical condition," Kelly said. "We need to get him back to the City."

"That shouldn't be too hard now." Crux said gleefully. "You guys have ships, and I bet right now Pekis, and Avez are turning that Vex into scrap metal."

As if to prove him wrong, the break room shook, pieces of ceiling falling, thrashing, and crashing could be heard on the upper floors. Signs of a great battle. Pekis let out a roar of pain followed by the sound of something breaking making Kelly's heart skip a beat.

"Or not." Ellie let Crux go, arming her Invective shotgun. "Crux, you stay here, and cover them. I'm going up."

She pumped her gun, turning around to leave when Crux grabbed her shoulder. "Hey if you're going, I'm-"

Ellie slapped his hand away. "No. You already went three rounds, and it turning you into a piece of crumpled tin foil. And your still not a 100%. STAY. HERE." She finished getting right in his face.

He saw it in her eyes. There was no changing her mind. "Fine." he back off, finding a good enough chair to sit down in, cursing that he wasn't going to get a third crack at it, and she was off. Crux made a big puff, "Women." forgetting the two that were with him, giving him looks for that. He looked over at them. "What?" Neither of them responded, just turned away. "Okay."

Brushing it off, Kelly's thoughts went back to Bitsine. "How are you doing?"

"Aside from me getting be beat up, my Ghost getting shot up, my ship getting blown up, and Crux getting beaten down, I'm cool." Bitsine tried to feign her usual bravado, but knowing her Ghost was near death put a hamper on that. "You're here now so we got this... right?"

Kelly saw through the act, but she didn't want to kick her went she was down. "Yeah, you know Pekis. He'll fight tooth, and nail for us."

"...Yeah."

Upstairs, Pekis was at a disadvantage. His super worn off, relying on his own strength to fend off his attacker with minor success. Physically, he was by far the strongest Hunter the City had, but the Legionless mind was meant to be a force to overwhelm any threat it was put against, from the mightest Titian, "Ahh!" to the swiftest Hunter. Pekis locked hands with the Mind in a match of strength, electric power being absorbed painfully into his body. It wasn't the first time he had to go through it, but it was definitely the most intense. Whatever this Vex was, it was an exceptional opponent compared to the rest of kind. With a rush of adrenaline, he drew his pistol, firing rapidly into its chest. It pulled him towards it lifting its knee to meet with his stomach.

It let one of his hands go, striking him, repeating the attack until he was on the floor, hurt, but not out. Lifting its leg, it prepared to stomp him when Pekis rolled over on his back with his Lord of Wolves, a burst burning into its chest. Staggered, it was helpless for Avez, coming from behind, his own power activated, giving the Mind a supercharged shoulder charge sending it through the wall. "Pekis!?"

"I'm fine." Aepvis healed his wounds.

Before he could get back up, the Legionless Mind came back, tackling Avez, engulfing him in a blue wave, driving him through multiple walls in revenge, ending its momentum by spinning around, and throwing him across the room. He crashed through a desk, coming to a stop to be destroyed when the Vex slammed its fist on the floor, sending a shockwave of arc Light towards him. Jade materialized to begin the revival process when she now found herself under the gaze of the Mind. "Oh, crap!"

It reached out wanting to crush her in its hand, stopping at the sound of a shotgun blast. "NO!" Ellie ran up to it, utilizing the full automatic feature of the Invective, the close range burst putting some dents in the metal. Annoyed, It turned its attention to her, covering its eye from another blast then yanked the gun out of her arms, bringing its other around to hit her.

Halfway there, Pekis came back, his Light recharged he sliced off the attacking arm, cueing the Mind to flee right when Pekis took another swipe at it. Despite its speed, Pekis was more than capable of keeping up in his empowered state, taking their battle all over the floor. Every time it stopped the Hunter was there just as quick, not giving it a chance to repair. Occasionally, they move with such speed, and purpose that, for a moment, they would become one with their Light, transforming into pure spectral beings of Light, their power crossing over with each other's when they collided together creating a blastwave pushing everything around them at that moment away.

Avez, and Ellie did their best to follow, relying on the trail of electrical damage their presence left behind. "This is insane! How can a Vex have Light at all, much less take on a whole fireteam at once with it?" Ellie asked running.

The chase came to an end when the Mind jump through a window into the outside world, falling several stories, feet stomping the grass when it powered down. "Energy levels depleted. Recharge commencing."

It wasn't alone. Pekis didn't hesitate to follow it outside using the same exit it made. The two were now surrounded by the urban jungle, the sky completely overcast, dropping light rain upon them. Water trickled down their forms, Pekis' flashlight reflecting off the Vex's wet body, his water-proof scarf, cloak, and fur allowing the rain to harmlessly bounce off. Pulling out his knife, his breathing was heavy, but controlled. The Legionless Mind scanned its arm, doing a diagnostic check, it didn't have the means to fashion itself a new arm, but was capable of fixing the burns, and dents it sustained.

The metal body glowed orange, fixing itself, it calculated its current odds with it severed appendage. 'Probability of directive completion decreased by 23.17%.' A slap rifle appeared in its other hand. 'requesting assistance.'

Pekis steadied himself, gipping his pistols tightly, and keep his knife at the ready. Using the moment of respite, He took the time to gather his thoughts. He didn't like his chances of facing it without his Light, especially if replenished its first. He needed to buy time. An idea formed. If it could speak, then maybe... "Can you understand me?" Perhaps he could distract it.

The Legionless mind tilted its head at the odd question. This was the first it had ever been asked. Having a dialogue with the Eliksni seemed utterly meaningless, and it was not helped when two of his companions caught up with them.

"Pekis!" Ellie, and Avez came out of the wind they came through, Landing on either side of him, guns raised.

The Legionless Mind's eye turned red, steading its weapon for use.

"Hold your fire." Pekis command was met with confusion on all sides.

"What? you can be-" Avez started.

"I am. hold." Pekis what hopping to get some intel out of the Vex if he could. The Legionless Mind kept its weapon ready, switching between targets. Avez, and Ellie looked at each other, unsure of what they should do. It sounded crazy, but they trusted Pekis. He must have had an idea so they did as he said, lowering their weapons, but keeping their fingers on the triggers.

The Vex's eye turned white again, perplexed at the turn of events. But then again it shouldn't be so surprised. After all, those who wield that which cannot be simulated existed outside causality. They cannot truly be predictable. Not even itself.

"Can you understand me?" Pekis started again.

The Legionless Mind was undecided on what to do until its master's voice told it, 'Commence dialogue.' Such a rare event could provide new insight into their enemies.

"...Affirmative."

Ellie thought she was going to pop a gasket. Was this really happening, or a weird dream?

"What are you?"

"...Unit designation: Legionless Mind. Primary function: Elimination of threats to Pattern."

"How do you have Light? Only Guardian's are known to wield it as you do."

It took a moment for the Mind to understand. Vex didn't use the same terminology. "...Answer: This unit possessed what cannot be simulated prior to initial conversion. Cassie has been modified over the course of multiple engagements to allow for additional use of energy."

If they heard that right, could it actually have been... "What modified you? How were you converted?"

"Answer: Irrelevant." It stated firmly.

Pekis could tell he was onto something. "Why? What turned you?"

Its body twitched. "Answer: Irrelevant."

"Why is it irrelevant? Tell me why won't you answer?"

"Answer: Irrelevant." It crushed its rifle in its hand, tossing it aside.

"Answer me!" Pekis demanded. "Who converted you!? Where did you come from!? What ordered you to come here!?" Pekis body glowed brightly. Putting his guns away, replacing them with two blades. "It is clear you are only a servant answering to a higher power! Who is your master!?"

The Legionless Mind eye flickered red, 'Recharge completely.' At the same time, Vex clouds started forming everywhere, dropping off precursor Vex around them, dozens of red eyes focusing on them. Its body became the center of a violent storm emanating from it. Surrounded, the Guardians readying for a fight.

The rain intensified, soaking the armored warriors, doing little to bother them. The sounds of thunder echoed in the air, drowned out by the Legionless Mind's final answer. "Answer: OUT OF YOUR REACH!" It hit the air like a bullet, coming back down to rain everything it had on its primary target who held his blades up in open challenge.

"TERMINATING DIALOGUE!"


	36. Chapter 36

Nighttime Earth, Last City, Tower

Ikora was sitting down in the middle of the Warlock libraries. In recent days, she spent her time helping whatever difficult tasks that required additional assistance, such as decoding Vex mind cores. A task that sadly was not on her mind at the moment.

Little more than an hour ago, her Ghost, Sira, reported that a certain warlock that was supposed to be on suspension, and confined to Tower had left the tower in a ship heading off world with several others that were involved in some previous incidents. Yet another one of many incidents involving Burning Light. "What are we going to do with them?"

"You could try chaining them to the tower. I don't think anyone's tried that before." Sira suggested.

Ikora chuckled, "tempting, but I don't think I'd be setting a good precedent as a Vanguard member. We can't simply restrain Guardians every time they do something."

"Far enough. How about we try looking at this differently then."

"How so?" Ikora inquired.

Sira appeared in the air before speaking. "Well, it true that those three do tend to get in the middle of a LOT of very... undesirable situations. That explosion in the range, Pekis going off the grid, That big fight in the Hanger... Zavala getting slapped. Can I just say that I thought that was kind of funny?" Ikora nodded. While she didn't necessarily approve of her colleague being assault, however slight it might be, It was an amusing deviation from their usual routine. "Anyway the point I'm trying to make is that not everything they've been involved in has been their fault necessarily. Pekis was being assaulted in the Hanger to he had to defend himself, and after what he went through can you blame him if he went off on his own to get revenge."

Ikora placed both her arms on the table, intent on hearing her out. "So rather than just see this as another act of insubordination, we should ask what could be so important that Kelly would leave without permission. It not like she's a loose cannon so there must have been a reason."

Ikora couldn't argue with that. "Yes, you may be correct. Kelly is for the most part a level-headed individual. She must have a reason for disobeying the terms of her suspension. It better be a good one." Ikora hoped.

"Ma'ma." Ikora turned her head around to see another warlock standing by.

"Yes, what is it?"

"There something you need to see. We've had a breakthrough."

_ Venus, Ishtar Sink

The sounds of battle roared throughout the night. Rain continued to soak the ground, turning the loose soil soggy. Vex radiolaria, and metal mixed with the water, seeping into the dirt, converting it into a part of the Vex network. Bullets struck everywhere, the Guardians fought vigorously against the precursor Vex, and the Mind forged in Light.

Avez, and Ellie exchanged fire with the Vex, wave after wave of precursor goblins, and minotaurs fell only to be replaced by more legions. "Behind you!" Avez warned, punching a goblin in the process.

Ellie turned around, pulling the trigger on a minotaur that got too close for comfort. "Thanks!" Her Invective empty, she threw a scatter grenade into a group of goblins, buying her time to fill the gun with more shells. "They just keep coming!" A line rifle shot flew past her head. "Don't they ever run out!?"

Avez lifted up a goblin over his head, throwing it into another group of Vex. "Just hold your ground! We can do this!" The Titian said with bold confidence. Over the sounds of gunfire, He heard the clashes of two powerful sources of Light doing battle even when all-out war was going on.

Pekis, and the Legionless Mind continued their dance, the wet soil conducting their electric powers, electrocuting any unfortunate Vex that travel to close. Pekis' blades slashed, and swung at the Vex, unable to achieve any mortal wound despite his skill. The Legionless Mind proved to still be capable of facing the Hunter even with one arm missing. With the precursor Vex drawing the attention of the Fallen's allies, it was able to focus entirely on him.

It was still hard to believe. A Vex with a connection to the Light? Inconceivable. But whatever the case, it didn't change the fact that this Vex needed to be put down. The Light cannot be allowed to remain in the Vex's  
arsenal.

Pekis swung for the head, The Legionless mind ducked to the side, lifting its leg up to strik him. Pekis groaned, the impact causing him to stumble, he used his lower arm to block the hit, but the force was enough to make his bone crack. He was able to regain focus in time to see the shockwave coming his way. Jumping out of the way he threw a grenade its feet.

Back inside the hospital, Crux was back on his feet. Now free from her responsibility with Bitsine's Ghost, Soul was now completely free to focus on her Guardian. Giving his arms a good stretch, he felt as good as new. The aches, and pains long gone. "Alright! I am back!"

Bitsine, however, was still far from better. "That's... great." She still had her cuts, and bruises. Kelly's Ghost was busy keeping her Ghost alive, leaving not much time for Bitsine. "You think maybe you can work that magic on me when you... have the chance?" Bitsine cringed when a movement she made her wound act up. "Ow, that hurt."

"Then don't move around so much." Kelly knelt down next to her, looking her while her Ghost helped Bitsine's. "You really got messed up. What were you thinking, fighting something like that when your Ghost was dying?"

Bitsine didn't answer. She knew she should have been focused on the well being of her Ghost, but instead, she let her desire for revenge drive her, making her ignore the help he needed. "...I'm sorry."

"I think I can help." Soul appeared in front of her. "Crux is back to normal so... may I?"

"Okay."

Soul vanished, entering Bitsine's inventory where she met two others with their Light intertwined. "How is he?"

"Stable." Kelly's Ghost answered. "But he needs help."

"I know, but we need to get Bitsine mobile again first. You ready?"

"Oh, you mean..."

"Yeah."

"Do it."

Hearing that, Soul got to work. Focusing her Light, she established a connection to Bitsine's Ghost. While it was possible for a Ghost to heal a Guardian with injuries like Bitsine's that wasn't their own, there was a catch to it. Since their Light wasn't a perfect match, In order to do so, they required the Ghost of said Guardian to act as a medium to help adjust their Light to match the Guardian's. Before when it was just the two of them, Bitsine's Ghost was too damaged to handle the process, and Soul was too busy keeping him alive to do it, but with Kelly's Ghost helping, he could take off the excess pressure, and help maintain the connection.

"Here we go." Soul started, connecting her Light into her damaged sibling. Bitsine's Ghost felt it, the combining of his Light with Soul's. It was almost too much to handle, so much power going into the damaged body. Thankfully, Kelly's Ghost started siphoning off the extra energy, acting as a filtering agent, taking in what wasn't needed. "You're good. Do your thing."

Bitsine's Ghost was overjoyed. He though in his current state he was just a burden, but now... "Bitsine."

In the material world, Bitsine didn't feel any different. Just the same beaten up piece of crap she felt, but then she started glowing. "What the?" Kelly stood up, and back away, standing next to Crux as they watched the event unfold. The light glowed brighter engulfing Bitsine as her wounds healed. Cracks closed up, broken pieces miraculously fixed, all ending with a final flash. When it was over, Bitsine stood up almost in disbelief. "Yes!" She jumped, taking a few moments to flex her arms, and pat her body down for damage.

"How are you feeling?" Crux asked happily.

"Like new." Bitsine gave herself a stretch. "I forgot how good it feels to not be in pain." Stomping her foot, she asked, "Now when can we get back?" Bitsine asked full of worry. "My Ghost needs help!"

Crux raised his hand telling her to calm down. "Slow down. Our ships were blown up, remember? We need a ride."

A loud explosion vibrated the floor. "You'll get it, but the others could use some help first," Kelly said readying her weapon.

Bitsine was heart-struck. If only she had listened to her Ghost than they wouldn't be in this situation. Now Pekis, Kelly, and the others were... "Fuck that!" She rushed out of the room heading to the battle taking place outside. She already put someone close to her in jeopardy, she wasn't about to let it happen to anyone else.

Outside, Things were getting heated. "We're running out of room!" Ellie, and Avez took cover behind a fallen tree trunk, it's moss covered bark burnt with every shot the Vex fired at it. Despite their best efforts, the two Guardians were unable to fend off the increasing Vex numbers that begun to overwhelm them. No matter out many they killed, more kept coming in greater numbers, and firepower. Goblins, and minotaurs stood at the front of the line, Hobgoblins, and Hydras firing from the back. Kelly returned fire with her Assembly II, holding down the trigger at the approaching mob encroaching on them. Avez relied on his Schorch Torch CC to take out clusters of Vex, and Hydras.

"Then make room!" After tossing a pulse grenade to keep the horde at bay, he mounted his launcher over his shoulder, lining his sights up with a hydra pouring artillery on them. Waiting for the shields to move into the right position, a hobgoblin took a shot at him, hit his shoulder, and throwing his aim off when he fired. The missile completely missed the hydra, flying right past it, and towards another unfortunate individual. "Pekis, Look out!"

Pekis was in the middle of his dual with the Legionless Mind when he heard Avez's call. Turning his head he saw a bright light rocketing at him. By the time he registered what it was, the Legionless took advantage of his distraction, zipping right in front of him to send a mighty blow to his torso, sending him flying back. Its sensors detecting the approaching missile, simulation after simulation played out in its mind in the few seconds it had before it passed, and proceeded a very risky, and potentially life-threatening course of action.

Deactivating its power, it reached out, closing it fingers into a circle directly in the missile's path. The moment it went through, the Vex closed its hand, grabbing the explosive even as the jet in the back continued to push it. Using that, the Legionless mind spun on one foot, performing many calculations when it sight was back on Pekis, and letting go to send it right at him.

Pekis back hit the dirt, the momentum making him roll backward so he could get right side up again. His eyes widen his feet were planted on the ground. The bomb exploded creating a cloud of smoke where the Hunter was standing.

Avez, having witnessed the whole time, stared with his jaw dropped. That was until a slap shot hit his helmet.

The Legionless Mind scanned the smoke, not detecting any trace of the Eliksni which was strange on its own. There should have been some kind of remains left if the target was hit unless... "Danger!" The Vex ducked again, narrowly avoiding an arc sword thrown at its head. Looking up it saw Pekis in the air, missing one of his swords. He didn't stay there long, in another flash he was gone, and was right behind it. "Danger!" Activation its power again, it move out of harm's way when Pekis took another swing at it.

Pekis stood where he was, his breathing heavy the effects of prolonged use of his Light took effect, wearing him out to the point where his blade began to dissolve in his hand, and the aura around him faded. "Damn." He felt weak, tired. "Such skill." He didn't have time to recover when an explosion went off next to him.

"Pekis move!" Aepvis pretty much screamed.

Pekis did just that, avoiding more Vex fire, and taking cover behind some nearby wrecks. Peeking his head out, he saw that the Vex had summoned some cyclops. "Damn." Ellie's, and Avez's deteriorating situation got worse. Pinned down against the legions of precursors they were forced to pull back under fire. "I need to help." But he knew there was something else that required his attention.

Some distance away, the Legionless Mind was repairing. Using the respite, it called upon aid. A hydra hovered over its form, lowering its shields to the ground to better protect the Mind, firing its cannon on Pekis position to keep him away. A squad of hobgoblins formed a protective circle in front of the rotating shields while a goblin sacrificed itself, glowing white until its body dissolved, and the Legionless Mind had a new arm. Pekis took out his Stranger's Rifle, firing burst after burst at the Vex. The first would injure the hobgoblin that received it, activating its protective measure, but it proved fruitless for the next burst that followed would completely ignore the solar aura around them, piercing through the Vex metal, killing them.

The hydra's shields were no better. Even they did nothing to stop the bullets from passing through, and hitting the one it was supposed to protect. The legionless mind was stunned, completely perplexed by the turn of events. What kind of weapon could bypass Vex shields as such? It scanned the bullets dug into its metal skin, tracing the unusual residual energy signature back to its point of origin. "Anomalous energy reading detected. Retrieving source for further analysis."

The hydra lifted its shields up, the hobgoblins still standing moved out of its way, an aura of arc power surrounded it. Pekis cursed, without his own Light to combat it he wouldn't last against the Legionless Mind. After reloading he resumed shooting, the first couple of bullets hit their mark, but the rest weren't so lucky. Using its speed, and advance calculating, it easily avoided every other burst that came at it then became a speeding bullet heading to one Guardian.

Pekis ceased fire, running for his life when the Vex plowed through the pile of old cars. The Legionless Mind swatted, and push every wreak in its path out of its way with relative ease, some being flipped over, others knocked on their sides, one being sent flying in Pekis direction.

"Pekis, duck!" Aepvis warned.

Pekis hit the ground, almost being struck by the car that landed on the dirt a few feet ahead of him, rolling several times before coming to a stop. By the time Pekis got to his feet, he was back in the fire. The sound of sparks, and steps drew his. Turning around he was tackled by the Vex, the electricity running along its body stunning him as it slammed him into the side of a building. Pekis dropped his rifle, gasping for air he was stuck in the gut forcing whatever he sucked in out. The Legionless mind followed up its attack with a blow to his face, cracking his protective face mask. More punches came, Pekis' armor giving him some protection, but was unable to withstand the pressure. The plating dented, or shattered, his skin, and muscle bruised, and bone began giving way.

In a rush of adrenalin, Pekis caught a fist, volts traveling through his arm to the rest of his body, the rain covering his armor acting as a conductor making it worse. Unsheathing his knife, he attempted to stab the Mind who caught his arm by the wrist before the blade touch it.

Ellie, and Avez had their backs against the wall. Precursors continue to pour on the heat. Avez let loose with his Jolder's hammer, bullet casings littering the wet ground as the rain fell, drenching them. Ellie took to the air, hovering while Void power flowed through her out her hand into a bomb landing in the center of the Vex horde. Dozens of robots were vaporized in a purple mist only to be replaced by dozens more. "Give me a break."

Evez was about ready to give her said break with his own Light, preparing to unleash the power of the striker to break through their lines when a familiar cheerful howl stopped him. "Can't you guys do anything without me!" Crux launched himself out the hole in the hospital, seeing his teammates in a predicament he spun upside down glowing purple pulling back on his bow to shoot. The hydra that once was protecting the mind now engaging the Guardians was the target. A long purple arrow pierced the top of its body digging to the center were the power making it up spread, giving the Hydra a purple aura that lashed out, taking hold the nearby vex.

Avez took full advantage of it. Charging out of cover he lit up with Light pounding the ground, unleashing an electric wave of death upon the immobilized Vex. The ones closest were killed instantly, but not just them. All the tethered Vex were bonded together, the damage one took was dished out to all of them, ending with them exploding with void power, the hydra being the biggest one.

Crux landed on his feet, holding his Last word, and started working with Avez picking off the stragglers. "This is how you do it." When the last precursor fell, and it didn't seem like more were about to come, he and Avez joined back up, turning to see Ellie coming at them steaming.

Ellie, while relieved, was irritated with Crux for not staying where he was. "Damn it, Crux! I told you to stay behind!"

"What? I was bored waiting for you. What was I supposed to do? And from the looks of things, I came just in time." He looked around remembering there should be someone else with them. "Where's Pekis?"

Hearing his name, Ellie, and Avez both said in unison, "Shit!"

Pekis' strength began to fail him. Unable to endure the shocking for much longer his arms slacked, his knife slipping through his fingers. no longer putting up resistance the Legionless Mind let go, grabbing him by the neck, and lifting him off his feet. He chocked, the metal hand tightening keeping him from getting air. Even with ether laced in his lungs, that alone was not enough for an Eliksni to survive. The bright eye focused on him, the last thing many a Guardian have seen before they met their end.

But not this one

When Pekis' lungs cried for fresh air to mix with ether, a strong force came to answer, "PAYBACK TIME MOTHER-" The Legionless Mind was struck on its side, "FUCKER!" Forced to let the hunter go, it stumbled back a couple yards with a new dent in its body then felt another made in its chest.

Pekis dropped to the ground, mud staining his armor, and hands, he removed his damaged ether mask it split in two, the pieces falling to the ground. Gasping for air, he lifted his head up allowing the soft pallets of rain to drop on his face. The cool water entered his mouth as he sucked in the open air, relieving his lungs of the feeling of suffocation.

"Pekis," A soft caring voice said. Pekis took his eyes away from the dark cloudy sky to see a familiar Warlock kneeling down, looking back at him through her helmet. "are you okay?"

"Better now." Pekis picking his soiled knife off the ground, he stood up. "Where's Bitsine?" Flashes of light, and joyous cried of vengeance answered him.

"HOW! (punch) DO! (punch) YOU! (punch) LIKE! (punch) ME! (punch) NOW!" Bitsine let her anger loose with every blow. She hasn't felt this good it a good while. But the Vex wasn't going to let her continue. The next fist she threw it caught, clenching its other hand it sent it right her face just for it to be caught by her. "Not this time asshole!" They were locked together, their individual Light clashing against each other.

The Legionless Mind did another scan on her. "Energy levels: unchanged. Probability of alternate outcome: none" The Vex pushed forward, Bitsine's feet digging into the dirt trying to stop them.

She growled trying to push back, but try as she might, The Legionless mind was built to be stronger than any Titian "Maybe if I was alone, but this time..." Before she could finish, some large glowing purple disk hit the Legionless mind into the head, bouncing off into the sky, The force throwing the Vex off balance, breaking the dual. "I got... friends? What the?" Bitsine stared off into the sky watching the disk go a quarter of a mile up then disappeared.

"You know Avez, you got to use that more often." Crux followed that up with a solar knife. The Mind caught it in one hand tossing it aside before it exploded. "Ah, come on!"

"I got him!" Bitsine, her mind back in the game, rushed her enemy, focusing her light into her fists again. The Vex recovered from the blow, leaning out of the way of her first punch, and grabbing her arm to perform a shoulder toss, throwing her to the ground with a thud.

Avez came at it from behind, the Legionless mind turning around to see another purple disk attached to his forearm when he brought it around for a swing. It blocked it with its own arm, arc Light running along it to act as a barrier against Avez's void power. "Unexpected variable." It grabbed him by the throat, pushing away his shield, and sending its fist to his chest. Forced back Avez spun his body give his shield momentum when he threw it. Its target dodged it, but the shield hit the wall behind it, bouncing back at its back.

The Legionless Mind fell to the ground holding itself up with its hands, vulnerable to the weapons fire that came at it from all sides. All six guardians surrounded it, each using their own weapons to light it up. Pekis, after recovering his stranger's rifle, did the most damage, the energy infused with the bullets that passed through the barrel easily punctured the reinforced armor, and it new that.

Letting out an electronic, though clearly pissed off sound, Its eye turned red, glaring at the only Eliksni of the group, it body lit up kicking the dirt, heading right for Pekis. It covered it eye with both arms, them receiving the brunt of Pekis attack until it tacked it to the ground, holding him down by the throat, sending blow after blow to his unprotected face like a half-mad machine with a degrading processer corrupting it. His nose was first, a crunching sound indicating that the bone behind it broke follow by one of his one of his mandible that became bent at an unnatural angle.

"GET OFF HIM!" The outrage Kelly screamed, coming in close with fire burning from her entire being. Sliding right next to it she lashed both her arms out unleashing a violent torrent of fire just inches away from it. Pekis turned his face away, his tough skin giving him better protection than a human's, but still felt the intense heat. Heat that reminded him of a tragedy that occurred long ago.

The Legionless Mind however had far better protection than he. It pulled it arm away from the Hunter, grabbing Kelly's with enough pressure to fracture her bone, evoking a sharp scream from her.

Hearing the sound of his mate in distress free him from his memories. His mandible fixed thanks to Aevpis, he let out a loud Fallen roar, his claws burning with his own Light, slashing at its chest leaving small gashes, one of his claws breaking in the process.

"What he said!" Bitsine got close wrapping an arm around its neck to yank him off, tumbling to the ground in the process. The Legionless Mind quickly broke free of her hold, getting back to its feet to stomp her when it was stopped by a high caliber round.

Crux adjusted the scope of his 1000-Yard Stare. "Not this time." Another round went out the barrel, landing near the base of its neck. Ellie, and Avez followed his example, holding down the triggers on their guns, Pekis, and Kelly helping for their end. Sparks bounced off with every impact, dings ringing in everyone's ears.

The Legionless Mind's armor was holding strong but wouldn't last long against this onslaught. Metal began giving way, threating to breach. "Armor failure imminent." Which was not helped when Pekis decided to bring out his big fucking gun.

Pekis lifted up the Walker Minigun in all four arms, his muscles contracting to hold up the heavy weaponry, the barrels spin when he leveled the gun. The Vex took off running barely avoid the barrage Pekis sent at it. Everyone stayed on it, their target running indicating that they had the upper hand. Coming to a dead end the Mind jump onto the side of a building continuing to up at a diagonal angle as bullets of all kinds followed it.

"Damn that thing can run!" Bitsine commented, firing her Thunderlord upward.

Running out of wall, It firmly planted its foot on the building corner, leaping over to an adjacent structure, and continuing its ascent, leaving behind a trail of bullet holes. Almost to the top, it dug its feet into the wall giving itself a good jump to the top landing of the edge of the roof then launching to the sky, the electricity surrounding it intensifying mixing with the rain clouds still spilling raindrops giving off the impression that it was a thunderstorm. Their target out of range, they ceased fire, gawking at the vex that gained some serious altitude. Just what the hell was it doing? Trying to fly?

That question was answered when gravity took effect, the mind positioning itself upside down with fist pointed to the ground, its power growing stronger every second.

"RUN!" Avez yelled, feet kicking the dirt to get out of the way.

Everyone else did the same, splitting up in a circle, but not fast enough. The Legionless Mind slammed the ground, creating a large crater in the center. The resulting explosion consumed it, a dome of electric energy spread outward in all directions, the wet ground aiding in its effectiveness. Ellie, and Avez, being the closest, ending up being caught in the blast. Their boots acted as the conduits for the lightning running along the soaked ground to travel up their body stopping them. Unable to escape, their bodies were vaporized in a blue flash, leaving nothing except their Light.

Crux took cover in behind a wrecked cargo transport that crash into the wall of a research center, leaving a big hole for him to go through, getting out of the rain. When the dome reached the build it shook violently like a strong earthquake was happening. "please don't collapse, please don't collapse, please don't collapse."

Bitsine, Kelly, and Pekis managed to get out of range just in time, turning around to see the devastation left behind. The entire area had been level. Grass was rendered nonexistent, dirt had been picked up, and blown away. At the center of it all was the Legionless Mind. Ellie's, and Avez's Ghosts already begun the process of revival which was sped up by the aid of the remaining Guardians bring their numbers back to six.

When they were certain everyone was alright, they focused their attention back to the center of the crater. There the Legionless Mind was on one knee, its fist to the ground it sparked with residual remnants of its power. The dents, and holes it sustained still present, a faint white glow coming from one of the gashes in it chassis that the Kelly figured must be its mind core. The eye flickered, turning a dark shade of orange initiating it repair function. A solar aura surrounded it, but something was different this time. It wasn't as bright as it was before, or as hot. Its wounds healed much more slowly, and it didn't last as long.

The aura faded quicker than before. Shinning their lights on it, it was clear that the repairs weren't finished, the shallow remanents of dents, and still present, but somewhat smaller gashes, and holes were clear signs. Standing up it flinched, almost stumbling it struggled to get good footing. the now white eye flickered even more so, its vision glitching every now, and then. "P-Power levels d-d-depleted. System f-failures dete-tected. Unable to r-r-repaired. Emerg-ancy reserves a-activated. R-Requrie-"

"Shut up!" Bitsine lunged fist raised, putting another dent in the Legionless Mind's already battered body. Energy levels depleted, its movement, and reflexes were severely hindered. Its body ratted with every impact, struggling to simply stand upward yet somehow it found enough strength to block her next attack, grabbing her fist pushing back enough to shove her back a few feet.

That signaled everyone else to move in. The next thing it knew, Crux jumped connecting his foot with its head making it stubble back for Avez to follow up with a punch. It was then surrounded, each Guardian taking a turn to dish out their own punishment, pushing it in different directions as a way of passing it around allowing others to have their turn. Pekis Jambed his knife in its chest kicking it away towards Kelly who stuck it from behind with a burst of void power. It dropped to one knee holding itself up with one arm, lifting its head to meet the butt of Ellie's Invective shotgun prior to her turning it around to fire a shell in its face, the pellets cracking the protective layer protecting its eye.

Avez pulled it back by the shoulder, turning it around to stick it this time scattering the glass, exposing its eye to the outside.

It continued like that for minutes, not ending until it hit the floor too weak to stand or put up a defense. 'Situation C-Crit-ical! Re-q-quire A-ssit-ance!'

Everyone stepped back, no one said a word staring at the now broken Vex that up until now proved to be a highly dangerous foe for any warrior of the Light. This broken contradiction of Darkness, and Light laid twitching, and sparking on in the mud staining it once elegant silver-blue color design, the faint white color of its eye match only by the glow coming from the inside of its body, its core. The container holding the radiolarian mind fluid operating the Mind was still strong, the milky substance desperate for a for a way out.

"Not so tough now are you?" Bitsine spate.

"Is it dead?" Crux asked hopefully. The Vex moving its arm killed his hope. "Crap."

"It is too weak to be a threat," Pekis assured him circling. His eyes look at it with disgust. How long have the Vex been abusing the Light, twisting it, using it to snuff the Light of other Guardians? "But we must finish it."

"I say we help it go out with a bang," Ellie suggested her arm glowing with void.

"I second that," Kelly said her also glowing.

One by one every Guardian agreed. Weak, the Legionless Mind slowly managed to lift its torso up, its legs of little use at the moment, detecting that the Guardians were no longer in close proximity, but were now a good distance away when it pick up energy build ups from a few of them. 'Dan-g-ger.'

The Guardians all spread out. Pekis, whose Light was recovering, was able to conjure up just enough to make a single arc sword. Kelly, and Ellie both held their hands up parallel, shifting spheres of void power forming, and growing in size. Avez made another disk, arching his arm around getting ready to throw. Bitsine, lacking any Light based attack for long range, equipped her Warpath launcher locking onto her target. Crux burned with solar fire, his golden gun pointed at it chest.

all six Light bearers stood where they were, all ready to end it.

'Primary asset's continued functionality in jeopardy. Running scenarios for best course of action.'

The Legionless Mind itself was attempting to do such things to no avail. Every simulation it was able to run only ended the same way: It's destruction. What this it? Was this all its purpose was leading up too?

It wasn't. Though its body was battered, and broken, its Light was strong. The first sign was the changing of it flickering eye color.

All the Guardians readied to deal the final blow, Pekis was about to start it when something caught his eyes, a faint glow of purple.

The well of power within the Vex was acting up. It dug deep, unsure what this could lead to, but it had no other options. The build-up continued to grow, the aura becoming stronger with every passing second.

Pekis saw where this was going. "NOW!" He threw his sword, signaling everyone else to action.

The Light of six immortal Guardians came right at the Legionless Mind, that's when its Light practically exploded. The aura surrounding it expanded rapidly in all directions in a wall of Void power. On contact, the two nova bombs were pushed back in the opposite direction, Avez's disc meeting the same fate narrowly striking him. Bitsine's missile exploded, no time for the smoke to form a cloud. Pekis, and Crux's attacks, having the most piercing power, managed to puncture the void. traveling the distance, the disrupted air around them threw off their trajectory. Two of Crux's shots missed, the third grazing its arm ending after blowing off its leg. Pekis' sword wobbled, and shifted to the side hacking of the Mind's left arm forcing its body to hit the mud again.

Even the rain was prevented from properly finishing its drop, the void acting like a temporary umbrella as the Guardians themselves were blown away. Pekis back hit the side of a car, knocking the breath out of him, and almost turning it over. The others landed it various positions with the same effect, in a daze.

That was it. No more moves. The Legionless Mind laid prone in the ground, unable to move, or repair itself. Just a few more moments of life before it was finished. It failed its purpose. For the first time since its conversion, it failed. Now it was paying the price.

Pekis was the first to get back up. Rubbing his head he looked around for his comrades paying no heed to the dying Vex. He pulled Crux up to his feet not sticking around to check if he was alright when he spotted kelly on the ground. Sliding over to her, he took on her helmet, holding her head up to see her eyes shut. "Kelly," he whispered.

That seemed to do the trick. She stirred, eyes opening to see a familiar face. "Hello," was her soft response.

Smiling, he helped her up, giving her helmet back when it was clear she was fine. Everyone regrouped, It seemed like their work was done. The Mind was dying, too damaged to survive on its own for long. It's last "attack" was nothing more than the last struggles of a trapped animal trying to survive.

"Should we still finish it?" Crux asked holding his Last word at his side.

Pekis thought about it. It was true the Legionless Mind was no longer a threat, but history taught him that it was best not to leave a loose end uncut. He learned that the hard way. "Yes." He unholstered one of his pistols, calmly walking over to the Vex.

It like it would be quick. A few shot in its body, and it would be done. But it was not so simple. Several flashes stopped him in his tracks. Smoke clouds forming, every Guardian readied their weapons taking up defensive positions with Pekis falling back to join them. The number of flashes increased, indicating even greater numbers were coming. The first thing that greeted them was the heavy fire of three hydras. They scattered, returning fire while dozens more continued to come.

"There's more of them!?" Bitsine said pumping lead into approaching goblins.

"It's Venus, of course- Whoa!" Avez ducked when the blast of a cyclops nearly hit him.

The battle continued for a while, the rain slowing down a bit with the clouds growing thinner. With his comrades holding the legions of robots at bay, Pekis took up a position behind the front lines, looking through the scope of Efrideet's Spear. There was only one reason so many Vex would come here, and he intended to finish it off, which proved to be hard to do with the number of Vex blocking his shot. But never the less he persisted. Vex after Vex dropped with every pull of the trigger in a show of self-sacrifice. Several of them attempted to sacrifice themselves to the mind to save it, but were stopped by Pekis before they could complete, but bit by bit the incomplete sacrifices were able to give a small amount of themselves to the Mind. Not enough to restore it, but enough to keep it alive.

"Damn!" Pekis put his sniper rifle away, equipping his Lord of Wolves in his upper hands, and his shock pistols in his lower.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kelly witness Pekis charging, firing bursts nonstop while his pistols picked off those that did not meet his shotgun. The rest followed his example, Bitsine, and Avez the first ones to catch up with him. Together they beat back the horde with Pekis on point. Crux stayed behind to pick off the cyclopses still firing at a distance.

By the time they got in front of the hydras, The Legionless mind was able to lift its head up again, still too weak to stand much less fight. The hydras' shields held strong, but wouldn't last. Its connection to the network established the Legionless mind sought to put out a request for extraction that was cut short by a message from the other side. "A-Acknowledged."

Another thing cut short was the life of a hydra. Taking to much damage, one of the hydras shut down, collapsing when it exploded leaving the other two with more pressure to deal with. Crux finished off the last cyclops, activating his golden gun, vaporizing the first hydra within his sights. The remaining smaller Vex formed a protective line, giving another enough time to sacrifice itself. Parts of the Legionless mind that had been destroyed were restored allowing it to stand back up.

Still wounded it attempted to activate its powers only to for a jolt to make it cry out. Some of its most advanced functions had taken much damage from the previous skirmish that would require more than simple sacrifices to undo. Not to mention its Light that needed time to replenish on its own.

"Oh, hell no!" Bitsine rushed it, knocking over a goblin along the way, firing her Dealbreaker until the clip ran dry, and she switched to her fists. The Vex felt the familiar force of Bitsine's fist to its head. "Stay! The Fuck! Down!"

It was almost forced to its knees again, its fixed eye turning red marking its retaliation. Grabbing Bitsine by the forearm, it sent its other hand to her elbow breaking it, then tearing it off. Bitsine clutched the sparking end of her arm when she was sent to the ground by another blow. The others didn't give it a chance to harm her further, sending out a barrage of weapons fire to cover her. The Legionless Mind covered its eye, placing another hand over its damaged chest to protect its core.

Kelly ran over to Bitsine, keeping her head down to avoid friendly fire, and pulled her up, and over to safety. When it was over, the Vex had many new dents, with a bullet or two lodged in some of the small gaps in its armor. One of its fingers was shot off at the knuckle, another broken, dangling by a thin wire, threatening to fall off. Attempting to use its repair protocol, it was met with another jolt keeping it from succeeding. Dropping to one knee, it waited as the Guardians all began equipping heavy ordnance.

With youthful enthusiasm, Crux loaded his Prospector as those beside him ready their own weapons. The Mind stared down at the array of heavy weapons pointed right at it. It wasn't bothered by it for it knew what was coming. Crux didn't wait for the others, sending out the first of many explosives. More followed, a volley of death with one target.

Out of nowhere, there was a bright light then a boom. Crux's bombs detonated first, sooner than he was expecting, but as long as they got results who cares? Everyone else's made contact forming a thin fog of smoke barely covering the large energy barrier that had just form in front of the Mind. Out of the ground, blocky Vex constructs maintained the barrier making it extend all around the Mind to protect it from further harm.

"What the-" Bitsine started forgetting the arm she was still missing, "Hey quite hiding! Get out here!"

"Defens-sive measures acce-eptable. Requesting ex-xtraction."

Bitsine wasn't about to let it get away. She dashed forward with the full intent of breaking through the barrier, and strangling that Vex with her only arm if need be. She never got close. The metal making the barrier glowed, and pulsed, sending out a burst of power blowing the Titian way to be caught by Avez. "Damn it!"

The action repeated several times, each one pulsed with greater power than before making the Guardians back away weapons drawn for whatever might happen. And what happened was two bright white lights appeared behind the Mind on either side, fading to unveil two completed Vex confluxes.

Recognizing the design from Vex sacrifice rituals, Avez questioned, "Is it going to sacrifice itself?"

"I don't think so. Those confluxes are complete." Ellie answered. It didn't make sense for such a unique Vex to end itself like that.

Before any further contemplations could be done, the confluxes pulsed, the Legionless Mind seemingly unfazed by the pressure of energy despite being so close to the origin points. The metal of the two confluxes reached out, forming a link to each other along the ground with two extensions growing out the tops, connecting together in the air completing a triangular shaped ring. No one said a word. The confluxes pulsed again this time a slow electronic wail like sound coming from the ring that started to glow. The light became brighter ending in a flare that faded into a gateway showing a blurred, distorted image of a cavern.

The Legionless Mind stood up, not taking its eye off the Guardians it began walking backward into the gateway. Zooming in, it said, "Encounter archived. Returning to Nexus."

Stepping foward, Pekis watched the Vex vanish into the gateway, making out the image of pyramid shape crystal structure before the portal closed, the constructs that opened it dematerializing before their eyes.

It was over. The Guardians, more or less, had come out victorious. But this was not one of those wins that had Guardians cheering into the air. No, this time victory was met silence. A silence that was only broken when Crux muttered, "What the fuck?"

The others had similar thoughts on their mind. Except for Bitsine who, after the rush of battle ceased, remembered someone was in need of help. "Can we please get out of here!? My Ghost is dying!"

Pekis, new to that news, was shocked. "What!?"

"He got shot when we fought that thing earlier." Crux informed, "It destroyed our ships so we need a lift."

"Damn it, Bitsine you can ride with me," Ellie said, "Crux you can ride it in Avez's storage compartment."

"The storage compartment?"

"My ship is a one seater, and its the only place big enough for you to fit," Avez said.

"Why don't I hitch a ride with Pekis, or Kelly."

"Because they share the same ship, and don't have space!" Bitsine told annoyed. "Now can we get out of here!?"

"Ships are on their way," Aepvis said.

With that, the Guardians waited anxiously, keeping a lookout for any new threats that might emerge. Deep down Pekis knew it was not the end, not by a long shot. The Legionless Mind retreated in defeat for now, but it wasn't dead, it would be back to challenge them once more. And he knew there was something else pulling the strings. Something that surely had its eyes on them.

And whatever it was needed to be dealt with wherever it might be lurking.

Whether it be the highest levels of Vex Citadel,

Or the darkest depths of the Vex underworld.


	37. Chapter 37

MorningEarth, Last City, Tower

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... whoa." Cayde paused, leaning forward placing his hands on the meeting table before him. His face told that he thinking seriously. The returning Guardians and fellow troubled Vanguard members look to the Hunter Vanguard without saying a word. What did he have to say regarding this new matter? Ikora and Zavala were at a lost for words themselves, unsure of what to make of this new threat. "Are you actually saying..." Everyone present gave him their undivided attention. "That that Vex... actually... Talked."

The tension in the air turned into that of irritation. "Cayde..." Ikora deadpanned.

Cayde looked at the four Guardians that came to them with a most disturbing report. Pekis, Crux, Avez, and Ellie all exchange looks with each other after hearing Cayde's reaction. "It honest to Light talked? Like talked, talked? It made words that you could understand? Not that annoying robot wail they make?" As he went on the earnest tone in his voice took a slightly upbeat turn.

"Cayde," Zavala warned.

"What did it sound like? Was it staticky? Clear like yours truly? Come on, give me details."

"Cayde!" Both Ikora and Zavala exclaimed getting his attention.

"Come on, what?"

"Do you not understand the severity of the situation, or are you simply choosing to ignore it!?" Zavala question with the utmost urgency he could muster.

"Indeed Cayde," Ikora started, not in the mood for Cayde's usual antics. "We are facing a threat that requires our complete attention."

"Zavala, Ikora, give me some credit. Of course, I understand the situation, but come on, a Vex talking? don't tell me you not the least bit curious."

"The topic of Vex speech can be discussed at a later date, Cayde," Ikora stated looking back to the returning Guardians. "Now back on topic, you four are certain of what you saw?"

"Saw, shot, got beat up by, had my arm TORN OFF! yeah I'm pretty sure we're certain." Crux was less than happy to relive his most recent beat down.

Aepvis came out of Pekis' inventory. "If you reread the reports we sent you hours ago I'm sure you will find all the evidence you need to confirm it." Said reports were 5 data packages each made by one Ghost that included field recordings, energy readings, personal observations etc. Basically everything the Vanguard could need as proof of what they fought though he couldn't blame them for not wanting to believe it.

"We have," Zavala said, "We've reread them many times before you arrived, and sent copies to every Vex researcher in the Tower, but the question still remains. How is this possible?"

"We're not sure, But..." Ellie thought back to the conversation Pekis had with the Legionless Mind. "Back on Venus, it told us that it already had the Light before its conversion." She took a deep breath, "I was thinking that meant it use to be a..."

"A Guardian." Pekis finished for her, sending a chill across the room. "There is no mistaking it. Its power is too familiar."

"You got that right." Cayde held up a datapad, looking through the information of the Legionless Mind with utmost focus, much to his counterparts surprise. Normally he would only look at one with a bored expression, and now he looked genuinely interested. "And from these moves, it had to have been a Titian. Guess this means you got some serious competition, Zavala."

"Yes... Thank you for your input, Cayde"

"No problem."

"In any case, this information is invaluable. We must discuss the extent of the threat that this "Legionless Mind" possesses. For now you four are dismissed. We shall call upon you if need be." One by one the Guardians filed out of the conference room, allowing the Vanguard to discuss what to do.

"So how are we going to play this?" Cayde asked, "The good of fashion point, and shoot method? Set up a trap that ends with a big boom? I'm down for either."

"This is a highly unorthodox enemy, Cayde. I don't believe standard methods will be enough." Zavala secluded himself in deep thought. Not only did the Legionless Mind employe the Light as a weapon, but did so at a greater level than most Guardians could. He had heard rumors over the years. The occasional tale of a mysterious Vex stalking the ruins of Venus, but there have been no witnesses to ever confirm this. Now he believed it was because no witness has ever survived their encounter with it. Not even he or the missing Saint-14 was capable of some of the feats the Legionless Mind was. And if it was created from a Guardian then could there be more like it? More Guardians corrupted by the Vex? He shuttered at the idea.

"Then its a good with we got ourselves a "highly unorthodox" Hunter on our side. And I don't mean me." Cayde pointed his thumb towards the exit where the ex-Kings baron could still be seen heading up the stairs to the courtyard before disappearing.

"...Yes, I suppose we do." But even so, when pitted against the Legionless Mind Pekis nearly found himself overpowered by it, And he's been known to cut platoons of enemies to pieces in mere seconds. Had his comrades not have been there he might not have survived. And Despite his origins, Pekis has proven himself as a defender of the City, going so far as to destroy a Prime Servitor, and embark on a quest to destroy the House of Kings leadership regardless of the consequences that would have befallen the Fallen. His own people. To lose him would be a major loss. "But that might not be enough."

"Well, it has to count for something. They did fight it off when they ganged up on it."

"They did." Thinking about it, Zavala finally noticed that Ikora had not said a word for some time.

'Legionless' Ikora contemplated the word over, and over in her head. Something about it reminded her of someone from many years ago. Someone she had not heard of since Osiris still lived in the City. And the Nexus the Legionless Mind spoke off, could it be...

"Ikora." Ikora was snapped out of her thoughts by Zavala. "Is there anything you have to say on this matter?"

Ikora thought about it. "Not at the moment." She collected her datapad and a few other documents. "You'll have to excuse me. I do have some theories, but I must return to the Libraries to look into them. I will contact you as soon as I have something." Zavala nodded in understanding.

Ikora left, leaving him, and Cayde alone to discuss their next course of action. "Sooo..." Cayde started off slowly, "Do you think it can sing too?"

Or at least try to.

Elsewhere, down in the lower levels of the Tower, Bitsine was pacing back and forth anxiously. After arriving at the Tower, the first thing she intended to do was to get her Ghost help which Kelly knew just where to get it. Certain that there was no way Crux was going to get himself killed, or at the least horrible mutilated, Soul offered to go with seeing as how she spent so much time trying to keep Bitsine's Ghost alive she wanted to see it through. Crux had no problem with it, and after a heartfelt apology, and promising not to get into any more trouble while she was gone, he went with the others to inform the Vanguard of their encounter on Venus.

The Titian and warlock took the elevator down to the middle of the Wall where the Vanguard had commissioned a special repair wing to be constructed. But this was not your typical workshop or some other mechanic's place of work that you might expect to work on the repairs of sparrows, ships, and in some cases Exos. This wing specialized in Ghosts. Damaged Ghosts that had been hurt out in the field due to accidents, lucky shots, or just plain carelessness.

Walking inside the two women where surrounded by Frames, workers, and Warlocks scurrying about, operating advance machinery tending to some injured Ghosts that were in their care. Some only had minor wounds that would be no real problem while others had more life-threatening injuries that required that they be put into a type of suspended animation.

That is where Bitsine's Ghost had to be put. After one of the Frames working there had taken notice of them, Bitsine cupped her hands together where her dying Ghost appeared along with Soul, and Kelly's Ghost next to it. The Frame immediately took the Ghost from her possession and placed him into a stasis chamber. Inside he floated in mid-air, bathing in gentle waves of the Travelers Light, that had been collected from motes of Light donated to them by Shaxx from the Crucible, being pumped in at a careful pace. Occasionally he would regain consciousness long enough to see his surroundings.

A transparent energy barrier cut him off from the outside world. Outside he saw various personnel working on terminals, monitoring his vitals for any changes. Beyond that he saw his Guardian, Bitsine, walking back, and forth with the most serious expression on her face. Kelly, her Ghost, and Soul were also present, each of them concerned for his well being, but not as much as Bitsine was. They stayed there for a time hoping for the best, but when it was clear that it would be a good while before he could leave one of the told them they needed to leave and informed them that they would be contacted if any new developments occurred.

Reluctantly, Bitsine complied walking out with the others in tow leaving the Ghost she cared for in more capable hands. "...Bitsine..." was the only thing he managed to utter before darkness consumed his mind once again.

Bitsine sat down at a nearby bench hunched over in depression. Kelly sat down next to her wrapping an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "You okay?"

"No." She answered sadly, "It's my fault he's here. If I just took him more seriously. If I just listened to him when he got hurt..."

"Hey, hey," Soul got closer hovering in front of her face, "You can't blame yourself. I was there too, but I didn't know it was gonna take a crack shot at him. Hell, how many Vex do you know are smart enough to go for the Ghost first. And besides, He's here now getting help. He'll be back floating around you before you know it."

Bitsine heard what she said, but it didn't make her feel better. She wouldn't until she could see for herself that her Ghost was better. But until then she would have to deal with the soul-crushing guilt she had.

"Hey, and don't forget you definitely got serious payback for him." Kelly's Ghost was hoping to cheer her up. "You gave that Vex good hammering the first time you fought it."

Bitsine chuckled at that. Remembering punching the Legionless Mind into a dented messed up wreck lifted her spirits, but not by much as she also remembered that it didn't last long. "Yeah... stupid healing power," Bitsine remembered the Vex putting itself back together clear as day. With every hobgoblin she seen use it, it was nothing, but a stupid annoyance they had to wait out before the inevitable happened, and the hobgoblins would be shot to death in seconds. But with the Legionless Mind, added with its strength, incredible durability, and control over Light, It was dangerous.

Worst of all, It got away. Somewhere on Venus, it was hidden, probably in some Vex stronghold so it could lick its wounds, and then it would be back.

Kelly took her arm off Bitsine, interlocking her fingers halfway before suggesting, "How about instead of mopping around here we go out looking for a new shell for him. He definitely could use a new one after all that."

Bitsine thought about it. Her Ghost's shell was pretty damaged after getting shot. Two of the fins had shattered into pieces, and some of the others were pretty burnt. "Okay." Bitsine stood up, "And I could probably use a new helmet. And ship. That thing destroyed my old one."

"That's fine." Kelly stood up with her, happy that she was doing better. Bitsine led the way, knowing a few places in the Tower they could look with Kelly, and the two Ghosts tagging along. Along the way, Kelly thought about everything that happened on Venus. Bitsine and Crux almost getting killed, fighting a Light-infused Vex Mind, it retreating through some strange portal probably to some weird Vex dimension. And just prior to all that she had been bored out of her mind in the Library looking into any clues on what plans the Vex could have in store which reminded her that she and her Ghost had been discussing something before their interruption. "So Ghost, what did you pick?"

"Pick what?"

"Your name."

"Oh right!" He remembered that Kelly wanted him to decide his own name before they flew off to Venus. "Okay, okay, I got it." His body shook excitedly. "I was thinking, Walker."

"Walker?" Soul looked at him confused.

"You know, like Voidwalker."

"But you can't even use void power. Or walk." She deadpanned.

"No, but Kelly can. And let's face it if it wasn't for us, our Guardians wouldn't be walking around, and blowing things up with void to begin with."

"Hmm, Walker." Kelly let the word rolled around in her mouth a few times. "Walker... rolls of the tongue. I like it. So, Walker, you wanna go help our friend pick out a new shell for your brother."

Walker happily spun the fins of his shell. "You got it, Guardian."

"Hey, I want a say in it too!" Soul insisted flying backward in front of the duo.

"You all can have a say in it, but he gets the final decision," Bitsine demanded, joining the banter. "It his shell after all."

"Deal," Kelly smile as they went off to get a welcome back gift.

Meanwhile, After reporting everything that had transpired on Venus, Pekis Ellie, Crux, and Avez choose to find a nice secluded spot to gather their thoughts and discuss what happened. "My glimmer is on it being from the future." Crux declared.

"Crux, did you not get the part where the Legionless Mind has been around for years?" Avez asked.

"Of course I got that. Soul's the one who told me. But I think it came from the future, and was sent back further in time years ago and has been here ever since."

"Unlikely." Pekis started off, "Why go through the trouble of creating it only to send it into the past? It was born in our time."

"Agreed." Ellie leaned against the railing separating her from a big fall. Pekis stood next to her looking out at the City, the gentle breeze making the fabric of his cape wave in the air. "Now the question is, where did it go? What is the Nexus?"

"Beats me." Crux answered nonchalantly. "I thought Warlocks were supposed to have all the answers."

"We don't know everything, Crux. Would it kill you to try offering some insight?"

"Insight on what? Obviously, it must be somewhere on Venus, probably in some big base, getting a prostate exam from a mechanic, that my guess would be that big tower in the Ishtar Sink." Crux pulled out his hand cannon inspecting it for damage while his tone became spirited. "So I say we all go there, kick the door down, and shoot it while it still has a finger up its ass!"

Shrugging off the disturbing image, Avez spoke up. "I doubt its that easy, Crux. Plenty of fireteams have been able to infiltrate the Citadel and escape. The Legionless Mind would have to be someplace more secure. Jade any thoughts?"

Avez's Ghost, Jade, appeared next to him. "I agree with Crux."

The mentioned Exo reacted by looking pleased with himself, "See? Told you, Avez! Climb tower, shoot Vex with a finger up-"

"NO, NO, NO!" Jade shouted, not wanting to hear that again. "I'm talking about it still being on Venus! But I doubt It'd be in the Citadel. The Vex have constructions all over Venus. It'd probably be in one of them, but we need a lead to find out which."

As Hammer Scorch continued their discussion, Pekis delved further into his own thoughts. Everything that was happening on Venus was escalating. It was bad enough when House Winter was making its play to establish dominance over the planet, but now the Legionless Mind was on the prowl, recovering, but would be back. It took him back to what Ellie had told him during the Iron Banner.

"Well As fun as this has been," Crux said beginning to walk away, "I need to get going. Gotta talk to Holliday about getting a new ship." He rubbed the back of his head, and mumbled, "It gonna be pricey." Back when he first got to the City after getting shot down one of the first things he had to do was get a ship. Amanda Holliday only recently became in charge of the Hanger back then, and since ships didn't grow on trees it cost him quite a bit of glimmer to the point where he was clean out and had to pay for what he couldn't with a few favors. Thankfully he got those over with years ago, but now... "I'll see you guys later."

"Okay then. Some other time." Ellie watched him walk off, then turned her attention to the other Hunter still present. He was still staring off into the distance clearly with something on his mind. "Pekis?" That got his attention. "Anything to add?"

Pekis made a low rumbling sound in his throat, contemplating his answer. "Not at the moment." He took his hands off the railing. "There is something I must look into. If I find anything of use, I will inform you." Ellie nodded, and Pekis was on his way.

Leaving he took out a certain book, holding it in front of his face. It's worn cover still held strong, so he opened it up, turning to the page he bookmarked, and reread the last sentence he left off on. [His name was Kabr. He wasn't my friend but I knew and respected him as a Guardian and a good man.]

_ Several Days Later, Afternoon

Days passed, but for Bitsine's Ghost, it felt like months. He spent the whole time stuck in the stasis chamber as his wound healed piece by piece, the Light being filtered into the camber undoing the burns done to him. After a day he was well enough to stay awake without passing out, but to hurt to move, or talk. And because of that, the camber started to fell more like a prison. When he was well enough to talk, he desperately wanted to talk to Bitsine, but the people monitoring him told him that he was in no condition to move and that visitors were not allowed, which made him harshly curse them in mind. He might have been furious, but he wasn't about to get the people that were in charge of his care mad.

By now he was feeling good enough to move his body around. The fins on his body, or what was left of them, adjusted and spun on his command with some minor difficulties, but he was certain it was because they were damaged. While doing a full check on his systems, a Frame knocked on the chamber to get his attention. "How are you feeling today?"

"Great! Can I please leave now?"

"Not yet." The Ghost had a very strong urge to bash his body against the barrier separating him from freedom. "We must do a final diagnostic check then turn off the anti-gravity generator to test if you can fly on your own. If you pass we will send a message to your Guardian."

"Ugh, fine." He replied annoyed.

It took several minutes, several slow minutes as far as he was concerned, a light washed over him that was the scanner checking him for any abnormalities. When it was over, the Frame told him, "No irregularities detected." The Ghost could have told them that. "Are you ready for the flight test?"

"Yes. Let's get this over with." He readied himself for when gravity took effect. The gentle humming sound that kept him company died down, and he felt himself falling. He caught himself, stopping the fall for a moment when he lost control, and resumed falling then caught himself again. It repeated like that a few times before he got the hang of it. Seemed like not flying on your own for a few days could make you rusty. But at the end of it, he was fly circles around the chamber like normal. "I still got it!"

Passing the test, he was released back into the open world and waited rather impatiently Bitsine to come. He spent some time checking some of the other Ghosts that were still in need of help until a familiar armored Exo came through the entrance. "Bitsine!"

"Hey, you're alright!" The Titian, and Ghost reunited fondly, taking their leave where the Ghost was greeted outside by two other Guardians, and their Ghosts.

"You're finally out!" Soul spun around happily, getting close to nudging his side as the Ghost version of a hug. "I told you, Bitsine. Just a few days, and he's back in shape." Soul put of a confident front, but deep down she had worried greatly that her bro wouldn't make it. But Bitsine didn't need to know that.

Crux and Kelly stayed back, enjoying the scene of the Ghost reunion that grew bigger when Walker wanted in on it. "See, you can't keep a good Ghost down! And if you do you have to answer to Walker!" Walker puffed himself up proudly.

"Walker?" Bitsine's Ghost looked at him confused. "But you can't even walk."

"Kelly does that for me."

Kelly chuckled, "Yup, it's my way of saying thank you for bringing me back to life."

"You're lucky, Walker." Soul looked over at Crux with a disappointed look. "You got a Guardian that supports you, and doesn't do stupid things to make your lives harder."

Crux held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, hey, I thought we went over this? We needed a new ship, and I wasn't going to hitch a ride in Avez storage compartment every time we head out together." He flexed his neck remembering how cramped it was in there.

"You got us in debt with Amanda Holliday... Again! And After you promised not to do anything stupid while I was gone!"

"Come on, it's not as bad as last time. She let me keep some of our glimmer in exchange for some work in the Hanger, and we only owe her two favors this time."

"The last time she called in a favor we almost got blown up trying to get her schematics for Cabal warp drives! Then we almost got eaten by their damn attack dogs trying to escape!"

"Please, I'm the only one who got bit." He defended.

"Attack dogs?" Kelly asked confused.

"Yeah, Years ago Amanda asked me to sneak into a cabal base on Mars to steal Cabal designs to improve our tech. On the way out they sent these really weird red-scaled animals with pointy teeth to maul us." Crux told her.

"I've never heard of that before. Since when do the Cabal use attack animals?"

"They usually don't," Soul answered. "But the base we went to was being inspected by some big shot from outside the system."

"Huh? What legion was he apart of?"

"Don't know, but he wore red armor."

"Anyhoo," Bitsine attempted to get the conversation back on track. Looking at her Ghost she said, "I'm guessing you want to get a new shell considering," she pointed to the broken fins.

The Ghost adjusted his fins, feeling the friction caused by the damages. "I suppose I could do with one. Did you get something?"

"Actually we three somethings." Bitsine signaled the others to get their gifts out. Soul and Walker returned to their Guardians as he held their hands out where their shells of chose appeared. Crux held a blue colored Interchange Shell with white curved strips running along the fins, and small extensions of the top, and bottom fins. Kelly had round purple Regality Sphere Shell that had a lavender colored swirl pattern in the front. Finally Bitsine, seemingly having followed Kelly's example, also got a sphere shaped shell. A white colored Headerstripe Shell with red patterning on the front, and sides.

"What!? You got me three shells!?"

"Well, actually Soul pick this one out." Crux said about the one in his hand.

"And the two of us choose this one together," Kelly told him.

Looking between the three shells, Bitsine's ghost began weighing his options. The Interchange Shell had a nice coloring to it, and the extensions were a nice touch, but angular fins were kind of played out to him. The spherical shapes of the other two were quite appealing to him and seemed to be a perfect match for his round core body. Deciding between the two he went with Bitsine's for its pattern. "I'll take this one." He tapped the Headerstripe Shell.

"Yes!" Bitsine shouted victoriously. "No one knows my Ghost better than me!"

Soul and walker were a bit disappointed but were happy that their sibling got a shell he liked. And while he did like the shape, and patterned of the shell he wasn't much of a fan of the color scheme. Luckily he had a couple of shaders on hand. After exchanging his broken shell for the new one, it fit perfectly on him, and also gave him the appearance of a ball. He applied one of the shaders he had, turning the white, and red colors to blue, and black. "How's this?"

Bitsine held him out in front of her, turning his body side to side to examine. "Pretty good. Better than the last."

"I think it would look better like this." Soul applied one of her own shaders, the result making the guardians laugh.

"What!?" he scanned his new shell, realizing that now it had the appearance of a soccer ball. "Hey! Not funny!" he undid the change immediately.

"Sorry." She apologized. "It won't happen again."

Kelly held up the shell in her hand. "Why don't you take this one?" She offered Walker.

Walker looked at the shell in her hand. "Deal." He put in on, adjusting the pieces a bit. "Good fit."

"What about you?" Crux lifted the shell in his hand to Soul.

Soul thought about it. "I'll keep it on standby." The Interchange Shell disappeared into Crux's inventory. She watched the two other Ghosts fly around their Guardians happy with their new duds. "I think this is cause for celebration!"

"You have something in mind?" Kelly asked, making everyone focus on Soul.

"Hell, yeah! I heard of a trendy nightclub on the edge of the City. You guys up for partying later?"

They all looked at each other for confirmation. "I'm in," Crux said followed by similar replies by his companions.

"I'll invite Avez." Crux announced, "He always talks about loosening up one of these days. This will by fun chance for him."

That settled, The Guardians and their Ghosts went about the rest of their day to either prepare. Except for one pair. Before They headed off, Bitsine was stopped by her Ghost who led her to a secluded spot. "What's up?"

Bitsine's Ghost found it hard to speak. He had gone over the over the conversation again, and again in his mind, but now he wasn't sure how to start. "Bitsine, um?..." He spun around a few times trying to get the words out. "About Venus..."

That made Bitsine's expression sadden on the spot. She looked away unable to look at her Ghost without those dark memories coming back. "Ghost... Can we not-"

"No, wait." He floated to the side so he would be in front of Bitsine's face. "What happened wasn't your fault. You don't have to blame yourself. I don't, the others don't, and you shouldn't either." His voice was sincere, doing his best to relive her of her guilt.

Bitsine heard what he was saying. He was right. She knew none of the others put blame on her for what happened, but that did not remove the heavy weight on her shoulders. "I know, but..."

"But what?"

"I shouldn't have put revenge before you. You're my Ghost. You need me to watch out for you when we're in the field, and I all I cared about was killing that Vex. What kind of Guardian does that?"

"Bitsine..." Her words made him silent. What kind of Guardian does that? True she did put revenge before helping him but he didn't want that weighing down on her because if anyone knew what she was going through... "Bitsine I... I know what that's like."

Bitsine held her head up confused. What was he talking about? "What?"

The Ghost put some distance between them, this time being the one looking away as he brought up some old memories. "Bitsine... back when..." His voice lost strength, images of a dead companion making him quiet. "Back... when I was still out in the world looking for my Guardian I wasn't the most considerate Ghost." Bitsine stayed quiet allowing him to speak at his pace. "I had a friend traveling with me. We were together for a long time and we fought a lot about where to go looking next. The longer we were out there the more frustrated we got. By the time we got to the states, we couldn't come to terms on where to go, I wanted to go west toward California, he wanted to go south towards the border."

The Ghost paused, finding the courage to finish. "Thing between us got heated. I kept yelling at him, really loud, and I insulted him... on a personal level. And I left." He found himself losing strength to fly, so when Bitsine noticed she cupped her hands together to catch him. He laid in the warm embrace of her hands, his eye looking up at her face. "...Next thing I knew, I was on my own heading west... but I didn't get father than a mile when I heard shots back where I left him. At first, I just wanted to keep going, just keep moving forward but... I couldn't so I turned back to look for him, see if he was okay. I found the last place I saw him. He was nowhere in sight so I looked around and after a while, I figured he already moved." His eye looked down at her wrist. "And then I heard them. Some Fallen that were scavaging nearby were talking about how lucky they were to find a little treasure way out there. When I got closer I saw him, in a vandal's hand lifted up like a prize as dead as he could be. Apparently, when I yelled at him it was loud enough for the Fallen to follow... And that's how he died. Never finding his Guardian, winding up as some Fallen's trophy... because of me."

Bitsine didn't know what to say. That was a really personal part of the past for him to bring up, and he just spilled his guts to her. Her Ghost looked so beaten, unable to get back up. Is this what she was like? It was so strange seeing it happen to him. It was depressing. "And there you have it. The story of a jackass Ghost who got his friend killed. Wandering the world alone for years until he found you. So you see, I don't have any grounds to condemn you for what happened, It was just the karma that caught up with me."

Bitsine lowered her hands, closing her eyes to take it in. "Well..." She reopened her eyes, raising her hands so they would be on equal level. "I guess this means we were made for each other. listen, whatever happened before, It doesn't matter now when we're still... "breathing". what do you say we promise to do better next time? If you're ever hurt again I promise to get you help asap."

The Ghost's eye twitched. He stayed on her hand unmoving then decided to get off, lifting himself up into the air. "And I promise if I feel like mouthing off to you I'll just scream into a pillow instead." He said with a humorous tone.

That got a smile from Bitsine. "Well don't let me hear it or I'll be the one hurting you next time. Deal?"

"Deal."

In the Libraries, the warlocks were having a field day. After having the breakthrough with the last few decrypted mind cores, they spent every hour siphoning off every byte of data they had. Researchers were busy studying and archiving all the information they could. Entryways into the Vex network, plans for the conversion of mars, and Venus, the nature of the Sol Progeny, the three Vex guardians of the Black Garden's heart meant to not only be the Vex's way of binding themselves to the Heart but to also unleash their most devastating reality-altering powers unto the system. Though where these powers come from is still unknown. But not for much longer.

"So the intended target is in the Ishtar Sink." Ellie sat down at a table, laying out a map of the Ishtar Sink in front of her. Several other Warlocks worked with her, Datapads with records of sent transmissions from the Black Garden were scattered about. With help from her Ghost, Dex, they continued the process of triangulating the position of the recipient of the data the Black Garden was sending. After some time, they had managed to narrow it down to somewhere in the Ishtar Sink. A few more hours or so, and they should have what they've been looking for.

"This better be worth the effort." Dex sorted through communication frequencies, trying to find the best one to use.

"I'm sure it will be." While Ellie was looking over the map, marking all the areas known to have large amounts of Vex technology around, she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye. It was Ikora Rey, carrying some archival information on past Guardians, unbeknownst to Ellie. She seemed focused, perhaps slightly unnerved, but for the most part, her usual calm collected self. Ikora was moving along rather quickly, avoiding bumping into others to the best of her abilities. Seeing her superior in a rush had her concerned, "I hope everything okay."

As Ikora moved through the room, she looked over the information on her datapad, relying on her peripheral vision to avoid walking into objects, or people. On the screen, historical information regarding Osiris' following during his time as Warlock Vanguard. Names and events of notice scrolled up the screen, reminding Ikora of the troubles the City faced because of Osiris' teachings. Civil unrest, division between Guardians, rumored to have come too close to understanding the Vex just as Toland, the Shattered had with the Hive, all leading up to the Speaker exiling him for his descent into madness.

Returning to her own private area in the Library, Ikora set the materials down on the table, moving some of the books she collected to make space. Sitting down, the screen stopped scrolling when a name she had been searching for came up. "Kabr." Also remembered as Kabr, The Legionless, was a Titian, and a known follower of Osiris. While not to the point where he was willing to follow Osiris into exile with him as some others did, Kabr's interest in the Vex was heavily influenced by him. Much like the exiled Warlock, Kabr had a history of delving deep into trying to understand the nature of the Vex with a fascination bordering on obsession. And it was this obsession that allowed the Vex themselves to infect his mind.

Some time passed as Ikora continued to go through records she had at her disposal, cross-referencing the information she had with some that were gathered from the Vex mind cores. The mind cores themselves proved to be quiet fruitful for her. They shed light on the purpose on some on the constructs that the Vex created including their fabled stronghold, the Vault of Glass.

Before the true nature of the Vault had been shrouded in myth, and rumors for the Denizens of the City, and its Guardians with only tales, and speculation giving them any idea of what awaited inside. Its mysterious nature luring many a Guardian into its depths to never be seen again. Except for one. But with the curtain pulled back it was becoming clear. Inside the Vault of Glass existed a dimension under the Vex's control, separate from the rest of reality, acting as a testing ground to control reality through the use of ontological warfare. Time and space are manipulated frequently, twisted by the powerful axis minds that dwell within it bowels as they attempt to exert dominance through all timelines connected to the Vault.

This realm it what claimed Kabr. The mysteries that lie inside lured the obsessed Titian just as it had many before him. Another of a long list of Guardians that meet their fate in that wretched tomb. All that had remained of him were records and myths.

Of course, there was another, Pahanin, the only known Guardian to have escaped the Vault, so traumatized by the events that took place inside that he refused to speak of them, apart from a journal that he left behind that Cayde collected following Pahanin's murder at the hands of Dredgen Yor, effectively leaving no survivors from the Vault of Glass. Before Ikora didn't have much interest in reading Pahanin's Errata, and now It'd seemed that giving it a once over would be a good idea if it wasn't already in Pekis' possession.

But whatever the case, It was clear now. Comparing a picture taken of the Legionless Mind with an armor schematic Kabr left behind that actually required using Vex parts to create, the resemblance was uncanny. Kabr and the Legionless Mind were one and the same. Somewhere in the darkest parts of that vault Kabr, the Legionless met a fate worse than death. His fascination with the Vex took him beyond the edge and now he was one of them. A slave to their programming, flesh replace by cold metal, Kabr now served as an enforcer for the Pattern, his Vex corrupted Light forced to destroy all those the Vex deemed as a threat. Including other Guardians

Ikora laid the materials down, taking deep breaths as she contemplated this. She was uncertain what to do with this. Naturally, it was her duty that she would share this information with her fellow Vanguard, but more than that, what would be the best course of action to deal with such a threat. Not to mention what such a creation could mean in regards to the nature of the Light, and what kind of threat the Vex could pose down the Line. In the past, Ikora would often turn to Osiris for advice on such things, but with him gone she now tented to converse with the one that mentored him.

Summoning her Ghost, Ikora had her connect with another Ghost in the Tower. The voice that came through was welcoming, "Hello, Ikora." said the Speaker.

"Hello, Speaker. Is it a good time to meet with you? There's something important I'd like to discuss in person."

_ Venus, Ishtar Sink

Secluded in the ruin of the Ishtar Sink, a lone Hunter monitored the area, searching for any nearby threats. When he was certain there was nothing nearby, Pekis looked back down at the book in his hands.

After he and the others finish giving the Vanguard their report, he took it upon himself to follow up on the lead he had been following in Pahanin's Errata. He headed to Venus by himself, not wanted to be slowed down by the others. It was a risk given that the Legionless Mind was still out there, but he knew a thing or two when it came to stealth. His teammates didn't know about his trip, simply telling them that he was going to the base on Luna to see if they needed help against the Hive while they waited for a response from the Vanguard. Sure it wasn't the safest scenario he could have told them, but it was believable, plus the Vex the didn't operate on the moon so no one would worry about him being attacked by a superpowered Vex.

Retracing Pahanin steps took him to many different places on Venus. facilities that had studied the Vex at one point, old campsites they set up, locations were they did battle. But while going through the entries, Pekis pick up something odd about them. It was strange. From the way Pahanin wrote, it was like he was uncertain of how many others were with him. Like he was trying to fill in gaps in his memories that weren't there.

Of course, there was one he mentioned by name, Kabr, and Praedyth. Kabr he described as a good man even if they weren't friends, possibly have been going mad since Pahanin overheard him talking to himself like there was someone else with him even though there wasn't. Little was said about Praedyth like he was one of the gaps that Pahanin tried to fill. Pekis asked Aepvis to do a check on any Guardians with that name but came up with nothing other than scattered pieces of text. Pahanin wrote, [My brain is fuzzy about Praedyth. I can't remember what he looked like, or how long I should have known him. It's like someone did a half-assed job of making me forget him.]

Putting the book away, Pekis hit the throttle on his pike, continuing his search until he until he found himself in familiar territory. Passing through the area that had been a battlefield between the Hous of Winter, and Vex, memories flashed through his eyes. Loses had been suffered weeks ago during his team's search for the Black Guardian, and those scares in the dirt hadn't faded yet, the dead Fallen walkers reminding him of the Guardians that didn't survive.

Pressing on, Aepvis guided Pekis through his helmet following the map that pahanin left in his Errata. Pekis came to a stop at the cliffs overlooking the sea, dismounting his pike he took to the high ground getting a better view. The sun was at dusk giving the grass, rock, and Vex architecture a goldish hue. "This is where the map ends?"

"Yup. look familiar?"

Pekis grumbled looking at the round Vex gate built into the mountain he remembered weeks ago. Looking back at the Errata, he flipped the page, a sketch of the same gate was revealed. He held the book out, looking between the picture, and the gate itself to make sure. Next to the sketch was some text written around the image, a bit faded, but he was able to read it.

[If your standing in front of the gate then you are either incredibly curious or actually stupid enough to go through with it. I hope it's the former but if not then there something you should before you go inside that damn tomb. My escape was dumb luck. When we went inside, we didn't have a clue about what we'd be fighting. Except maybe Kabr, but half the time I couldn't tell if he was just nuts. The Vex have a power over the Vault of Glass. I'd tell you to ask my teammates about it but I don't think they exist anymore. Kabr is the only one I can really remember. He fought the Vex alone. This destroyed him. In the time before he vanished he said things that I think you should know before going inside. These are some of them: _"_ _In the Vault time frays and a needle moves through it. The needle is the will of Atheon. I do not know the name of the shape that comes after the needle. No one can open the Vault alone. I opened the Vault. There was no one with me but I was not alone. You will meet the Templar in a place that is a time before or after stars. The stars will move around you and mark you and sing to you. They will decide if you are real. I drank of them. It tasted like the sea."_ That is all I can remember.]

[If you're going into the Vault I know I can't stop you, but I can tell you how to open the gate. After that, you are on your own. My team couldn't get past the Templar, and now its like they were never born. Even now I can't remember who they were, only the fear as I ran. I hope that Kabr left something behind in that place that can help you stop the Vex. But whatever is in there remember you can't do it alone. You must count on those close to you to help see it through.]

[Good luck, and If I'm still alive when you read this, don't bother asking. I'm never going back down there.]

Pekis closed the book. The passage replayed over in his mind as he stared at the gate. Wind blowing past him, the hiss of moving air filled his ears as the sea behind him crashed against the rocks. He was calm, deep in thought. 'I've seen terrible things out in the darkness. Every moment brings them closer.' Now Pekis was sure he found one place those some of those terrible things were hiding. Whatever was in there drew in Pahanin's team to their deaths, and perhaps countless more before them. Something had to be done. Someone had to put an end to it. Find the heart of the Vault and crush it.

The image of Peldaks flashed before his mind, making his relaxed demeanor shift to one of anger before he calmed down. As much as Pekis wanted to tear his head off his shoulders, Peldaks would have to wait, perhaps for a long time. There was a threat that needed to be dealt with now.

He now had a clear target, But he couldn't forget what Pahanin wrote. Whatever was in there couldn't be defeated by one person alone, especially if it is where the Legionless Mind made its den. And with little to go on, he wasn't sure what else they'd be facing down in that underworld. He needed his fireteam, but they alone might not be enough. If Vex truly did a power that could erase their enemies then it would take more than three Guardians to overcome it. They would need help.

Pekis took one last look at the gate. "Call the ship."

"Got it," Aepvis responded. "So no kicking down the door today?"

Pekis turned his back to the Vault, checking the sky for his ship. "No, we must prepare."

"How?"

The sound of distant engine roars signaled that the ship was coming. "We get assistance."

_ Vault of Glass

Deep in the caverns of the Vex underworld, something was arising. In one of the lowest depths of the Vault was a lake. Not one made of fresh water, but the milky white substance that controlled every Vex unit. It laid collected in a pool crafted by Vex architecture, fluid swishing around with spark of electricity dancing along the surface. the chasm that surrounded it howled with the draft constantly passing by. Vex platforms floated around, vanishing, and reappearing every couple seconds depending on where the Vex had most need of them.

Around the edge of the lake, precursor goblins were placed every ten feet, standing at attention while they connected with the glowing white radiolaria running repair protocols regarding the only solid inhabitant suspended at the bottom of the lake. It was a long task that did not bother the Vex one bit. They worked like clockwork, fixing damage, making adjustments, going over archived data to calculate how improvements could be made. All this happened all while being overseen by the master of the Vault through the network.

'Repair status: complete'

'modification made: reduce power expenditure to allow extended period use. Recommend expansion of weaponry for increase versatility in combat scenarios. Plating density increased by 6.47% for greater protection against firearms.'

The Vex rewatched the recording of the engagement with the Eliksni focusing particularly on the arc swords capable of cleaving of limbs effortlessly. 'Countermeasures for abnormal power reading: in progress.'

'Power levels: stable.'

'Anomalies detected: none.'

'Unit reactivation commencing.'

The goblins changed their stance, now bowing on one knee the lake surged with energy. A pulse signified that the unit had been reactivated. It was quiet for a moment then something started to emerge out of the lake. the calm surface of the Vex fluid began to part as something walked up the steps leading out of the lake. The precursor goblins in that direction moved farther aside creating a big gap between their line. Out of the lake, the silver-blue colors of the Legionless Mind revealed themselves followed by its bright white eye matching the white liquid it came out of. The fluid Radiolaria made no attempt to cling to its body, the Mind stepping out as dry as any Vex should be.

When it was out it announced, "Repairs complete." Spinning its arms like windmills, it did a diagnostics check on its systems. 'Network connection: established' The legionless Mind went through all the new data the Vex had gathered during its incapacitation. Nothing significate occurred during that time, but looking into security footage that was being recorded at that moment it discovered the close location of its main target. 'Target acquired.' Its body charging with power as it did before, but its aura slightly diminished. 'beginning pursuit.'

Alas, it was not meant to be. before it could teleport out of the confines of the Vault, Pekis' ship had flown past picking him up and making a break for space, the direction indicating he was returning to Earth. The Legionless Mind stood down, its aura fading akin to being disappointed. 'Target no longer within atmosphere.' It ran potential solutions to the problem through the network. While the Vex themselves did not use spaceships and had not yet established any form of constructs on the Human homeworld to allow for long-range teleportation, the Eliksni holding out on the planet did, in fact, have an abundance of ships, and learning the controls, and systems would be a simple feat for the Mind. 'Requesting authorization for off-world pursuit.'

'Authorization denied'

'Query: reason for denied authorization?' The Legionless Mind was then sent records of intrusions into their network in the past several hours using clearances that could only have been obtained from Vex units stationed at one location. As well as evidence of a trace being done the data transmissions they had been receiving from that location until recently. A location that had been devastated and left inert not to long ago. The intruders were looking for information on key Vex projects, and locations of fortifications on the planet.

'Probability of Hostile incursion: 76.89%. begin defensive preparation.'

Unknown to any of them, something had been monitoring their conversation. Nestled high above the Legionless Mind's position, using the vast power it had to conceal its position, an artifact was watching. Diamond shaped bronze metal with an hourglass-shaped handle hovered some distance away from the familiar axis mind, It power radiating out its edges as its hack into their communications went unnoticed. That is until its power began resonating with another's nearby forcing it to vanish again, this time with new hope that its purpose might yet be fulfilled.

The Legionless Mind's eye became red, turning its head around to position the origin of the resonance came from. It did a thorough scan in that direction, detecting trace remnants of energy belonging to something that did not belong in the Vex stronghold.

'Variable status: active.'


	38. Chapter 38

**The Next Day, Morning**

 **Earth, Last City, Tower**

Kelly began waking up in the middle of her's, and Pekis' shared beds. Her head was buried under the pillows, the blanket over her body moved as her legs started to take action. A groan escaped her mouth, her head pounding in pain from the hangover she was suffering from. Removing the pillow, she laid her head on top of it, attempting to open her eyes up only to shut them again due to them still being sensitive from the hangover. "Ugh."

"Awake I see," Walker said to Kelly's dismay.

"Please..." Kelly groaned, "Talk quieter."

"Sorry," he whispered.

Kelly stayed there, keeping her head on the pillow, eyes closed, waiting for her Ghost to get to work healing. In moments the head pain she was feeling faded, the pressure lifted giving her some much-needed relief. "Thank you." She sighed.

"That's what I'm here for." Kelly turned on her back, hesitantly opening her eyes to stare at the ceiling. "So you have fun last night?"

The Warlock gave herself a good stretch, yawning as she remembered the previous night's events. "Yup." She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of her muscles so relaxed after a good night sleep. But even immortal warriors of the Light couldn't just lay around in bed all day so she forced her up, yawning again while she rubbed the blurriness out of her eyes. "But I think I might have had too much to drink. I thought I only had few."

"You did, but remember Bitsine talked you into drinking that special cocktail that could change colors and smelled really fruity."

"Change colors?" Kelly thought about what he said then it came back to her. "Oh right." Memories played back in her mind somewhat distorted to the effects of the drink she had at the time. Mostly those of her dancing to loud music with strobe lights lighting up the darkened club that she feared might have been more embarrassing than she remembered if the really strange movements she was made was anything to go by. "I didn't do anything stupid did I?"

"Well... Later in the night, you overheard a couple talking about how much fun they were having then you tried to tell them how much fun you had when you were in the elevator with Pekis and he had his-"

"No, no, no!" Kelly felt her heart skip a beat, digging her fingers into her hair, gripping her head tightly with embarrassment. "Please tell me I didn't actually tell anyone about that!"

"Lucky for you Bitsine is a good friend. But I think she could have done better than covering your mouth with her hand and pulling you away."

Kelly's arms dropped in relief. "Thank the Light." She pulled the blanket off her. "Did anything else happen?"

"I took pictures if you want to see them."

"Sure." Walker appeared in front of her projecting a holographic display gallery of the dozens of photos he took the other night. "Wow, you took a lot." Kelly used her hand to swipe through them as she looked at the happy faces they had. The first few were of her and Bitsine mingling with the crowd together, drinks in hand, then a male Exo came up to Bitsine and the next picture showed him on his knees holding his stomach with Bitsine walking away. "I forget, why did that happen?"

"The guy tried to hit on her and he didn't take no for an answer, then he got grabby," Walker explained.

The next few showed Avez on the dance floor with a crowd around him and Kelly realized that he could really cut a rug. "HA! About time, He's really good." After that was Crux standing on a balcony rail, balancing himself when Soul appeared and landed on his head causing him to lose balance, falling into the fountain in the middle of the first floor with a splash, then he had to be escorted out. "That's what you get for being dumb." the rest showed Kelly and Bitsine dancing together with Avez ending with them leaving together in the middle of the night with Kelly leaning on Bitsine for support.

After seeing the last one, Walker ended the display returning to his non-physical form. It was then that Kelly realized that there was yet again no warm body laying next to her. "Still gone I see." She was disappointed but she understood. They were Guardians. It was to be expected that they'd be gone for days, even weeks at a time every now and again. Destroying the forces of the Darkness wasn't something that could be done overnight.

"Actually, he came back last night."

Her eyes shot open, she held out her hand where Walker appeared over it. "He did?"

"Yeah, his ship returned a few hours ago. He wandered around the Tower for a while then went to see the Vanguard a little while ago."

"About what?"

Meanwhile, In the Vanguard meeting room. "Are you certain of your findings?" Zavala put the datapad he held down looking to Ikora who returned from the Libraries some time ago with every piece of information she could uncover regarding their newest threat.

"Yes, Zavala. Everything I've given you is accurate to the best of my knowledge. Even Ellie Frost's search into the Vex network confirms that the Vault of Glass has received a great deal of Knowledge from the Black Garden." She was accompanied by Ellie who, around the time Ikora finished her meeting with the Speaker, had come to her with the location that the Vex were sending their data of the Black Garden to. After looking it over Ikora realized that what Ellie discovered was in fact that the Vault of Glass was the recipient of the Vex's research into the heart. Everything they learned in reality warping from it over the untold millennia was feed into the Vault, Possibly being the reason the Vex have such great power in their realm.

Zavala took a deep breath processing the information he absorbed. It was a bit to take in to learn that the Legionless Mind was a Guardian corrupted by the Vex alone, but it was a surprise to find out it was the lost Kabr, the legionless. Or maybe not so much. He met Kabr once many years ago when Osiris still resided in the city. As Zavala remember, Kabr was rather a disturbing individual. His fascination with the Vex was something to be wary of, some would say he was beginning to lose his mind. It was clear now he didn't just lose his mind, he lost himself entirely to the Vex.

"Soooo..." Cayde started off getting everyone's attention. "The Vex have a Titian working for them, acting as a bouncer to keep Guardians out of their Vault. Inside that Vault, we don't know that much about so for all we know they got some big scary war ending doomsday weapon to kill us all with. And right now all we're doing is talking about what to do instead of going inside that place and filling everything with bullets. It that the gist of it, Ikora?"

"I suppose in your words, that would be the "gist of it"."

"Great! Now that we're Agreeing on things I say we keep up the momentum by agreeing that I should be the one that should dive headfirst into that place."

Cayde cheerful demeanor was immidently put down by Zavala. "Out of the question, Cayde!"

"Ahh! Come on. I need to get out of this Tower. Besides who'd be better to scout the Vault out that the most cunning Hunter there is?"

"NO! You are a member of the Vanguard. It is too risky to send you out into the field when there a chance we wouldn't get you back, let alone down into the Vault."

Cayde slammed his head onto the table. "But I'm so bored."

"If you need something to do, I sure your scouts' reports need to be filed, and sorted," Cayde mumbled something he couldn't quite hear, then Zavala turned back to Ikora. "Ikora, what do you believe our course of action should be on this matter?"

Ikora rubbed her chinned, pacing back and forth with thought. What should they do? It was clear that the Vex threat on Venus could not be ignored. For now, the ontological capabilities of the Vex were contained within the Vault, but it was that same container where they had near unlimited power. Each day they grew stronger, more powerful, so what happens the day they break free of their restraints and begin to wage war on reality itself.

Normally when dealing with potential threats the Vanguard would send a strick team to stop them before they became a problem, but in this case, they knew little about what they'd be facing. Not to mention that it was the realm the Legionless Mind resided in. Who could they possibly send inside when for all they knew they would just be sending them to their deaths.

"Send us." Everyone stopped their discussion in favor of listening to the Fallen in the room. Pekis had been standing aside for some time allowing the Vanguard to finish the discussion they were in the middle of. After his return from Venus, he took some time to gather his thoughts, going over what remained in Pahanin's Errata before deciding to see the Vanguard.

"You?" Ikora being the first to question.

"Yes." Pekis stepped forward getting closer to the table. "Allow me, Kelly, and Bitsine to go down into the Vault. Let us be the ones that destroy whatever it is that they have accomplished."

The Vanguard all exchanged looks with each other and Ellie simply stared at him surprised. "Why?" Zavala asked.

"My team has already struck a crippling blow to the Vex and then they sent their fiercest warrior to make an attempt on Bitsine's and our friend Crux's lives. They clearly seek revenge on us and view us as a threat, so we must be the ones who face them in their fortress. After all we have done it only make sense for us to be the ones and If they are not dealt with then they won't stop until we are dead and there are none left to challenge them."

Zavala and Ikora contemplated his words. Pekis had some valid points. It was his team that journeyed into the Black Garden to destroy its heart, also killing a Vex gate lord along the way. And when the Legionless Mind came at them with full force it was his team along with Ellie's that managed to drive it off when many others that might have faced it would have met their end. But there was another concern.

"Pekis even if we were to allow you to do this, do you even have a way to get inside?" Ikora questioned.

To answer her, Pekis took out Pahanin's Errata holding it up to show her the cover. "This."

"Hey," Cayde started remembering the book he gave Pekis, "What do you know! That book did have something useful after all. Makes me wish I flipped a few pages." Sadly for Cayde, he wasn't one for books as much as he was one for guns.

"The Guardian, Pahanin, that wrote this left instructions for whoever was willing to breach the Vault. He spoke of a hidden mechanism that once activated will open the Vault and inside there is a guardian that has the power to judge one's existence that protects the inner sanctums."

This did not bode well with the Vanguard. It was one thing for them to send a fireteam into a Fallen lair or Cabal base as their defenses are what you'd expect from a species that rely on conventional warfare. The Vex and the Vault of Glass were another thing entirely. In the Vault, the Vex's power didn't rely solely on rifles and bombs but instead fought on an ontological level. The power to decided what existed and what didn't. And from the intelligence they were able to gather on the Vault to fall to this power was not simply to die, it was to never have existed to begin with.

So what would happen is Pekis and his team, after everything they have accomplished, were erased from time? Made so that they never came into being? But then again If something was not done then their successes would most likely become irrelevant as the Vex will establish dominance over the system if left unchecked.

"And it would only make sense is said Guardian and his team were backed up by one of the Vanguard so I volunteer." The Hunter Vanguard back away from the table. "Let's go!" he started off towards Pekis' direction.

Before Cayde got far Ikora stopped him in his tracks. "Cayde, do we need to have another discussion regarding the policy of Vanguard members?" Her voice was cold enough to send a shiver up his spine.

He backed away, "Eh, on second thought, I don't wanna cramp whatever style you guys have going on so I'll just stay here and do... stuff." Cayde finished with a disappointed sigh.

"Yeesss..." Zavala started, "In the meantime, Pekis as for your request, we will take it into consideration as we discuss this. We will let you know once we've reached a decision. Until then you are dismissed."

Grumbling Pekis took his leave, Ellie following close behind. It was times like this that he missed his old authority. He despised having to live under Peldaks' rule but at least then he had the freedom that came with the title of baron to get things done. The Vanguard, while they did have the City's best interests at heart, he noticed that they at times tended to be in conflict with each other and that slowed down the decision making progress. Now with his old rank no longer having any meaning and living in the City with none of his former allies, he had limited influence with only the closest friends he had now.

Outside the sun was blocked out by clouds casting a shadow over the tower. "Hey, Pekis," Ellie called, getting him to stop. "Were you serious about all that? Going into the Vault of Glass?"

"Yes."

"But you don't even know what's down there. The Vex could have all sorts of weapons and constructs to deal with intruders."

"It doesn't matter. If they are left alone then one day they will come after all of us. So we must strike at them first before they have a chance." Pekis turned away looking at the orb hovering over the city. Thinking back, Ellie, Crux, and Avez have had his and his team's back on a number of occasions. He had come to see them as real comrades. Ones he hoped would join him on his next exploit against the Darkness. "And there's something I would like to ask of you."

Ellie wasn't expecting that. "What is it?"

Pekis turned back to her, looking into her emerald green eyes. "I wanted to ask if your team would join us?"

Ellie's eyes widened. "What!? Join you?"

Pekis nodded to confirm. "Yes. I'd be honored if you would stand with us. As you said the Vault may be filled with all manner of treacherous enemies so it could benefit us to have formidable allies aid us in defeating them. That is if you agree to it."

Ellie took a step back and begun pacing back and forth in thought. Pekis did have a point. The Vex were becoming a major threat that needed to be dealt with at the source. But they weren't sure what they'd be facing down there in that fortress. The last fireteam that went ended up being decimated with the last Guardian being turned into a Vex that nearly killed Crux. They were willing to fight and die for the city but could Ellie really risk her teammates on such a perilous assault on the Vault of Glass.

Ellie continued that way for a few minutes with Pekis waiting patiently. It was a big request he made. She would need time to make a decision. The Warlock stopped her pace, "I need to talk to Crux and Avez first. I can't make a decision like this for them."

"I understand. Contact me when you have decided." Agreeing Ellie left to find her teammates and Pekis went off in a different direction to contemplate future events.

"So we're really gonna go through with this?" Aepvis asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"Shouldn't we at least tell Kelly and Bitsine? If you want to take them on a blind incursion they need to know ahead of time."

"Of course. Send them a message telling them to meet us. I'll explain the situation."

"Done."

With the message sent Pekis decided to head down to the lower levels of the tower, Aepvis continually updating the coordinates of their position for their colleagues.

There he found a lounge that was frequently visited by Guardians on their downtime. It gave off a relaxed vibe. the lighting was dim, Guardians and other patrons scattered about enjoying meals at their tables or drinks at the bar with soft jazz music playing in the background.

Finding the place suitable to have a conversation, Pekis went inside, immidently attracting above average amount of attention due to what species he obviously was. The glow of his blue eyes stood out the most out of all his features in the darkened room. Everyone eyed him up with mixed expressions. By this point, most of everyone in the City had gained knowledge of Pekis' place as a Guardian along with tales of some of his feats but that didn't erase centuries of crimes committed by the Fallen race.

Ignoring the stares he was getting, Pekis cautiously walked past the sets of tables around him, his acute hearing picking up some of the whispers around him. He could smell the lingering scent of fear as the normal citizens stiffened when he got close. The Veteran Guardians in there studied him suspiciously for any sudden moves. They heard of the deeds done by him and his team and they respected him but just to be safe they padded the sides of their sidearms to make sure they were there. The younger ones that hadn't been around long enough to have gone through battles like Twilight Gap, or Six Fronts were a little more open-minded to him and thought he looked rather cool in his armor.

A Titian sitting at the bar, and had a few drinks, called out to him. "Hey, bug! Animals aren't allowed here!"

Pekis blew him off completely, finding a round booth in the back large enough to accommodate his size.

Pissed that he was flat out ignored he finished his current drink and was about to go over there when his friend grabbed his arm to stop him. The Warlock, irritated and embarrassed by his outburst, told him, "Shut up!"

Removing his cloak, Pekis sat down leaning back against the comfortable booth seat when an Exo waiter came by and asked if he was looking to eat anything. The Hunter explained he was waiting for someone and instead ordered an alcoholic beverage. Pekis sat there for some time taking sips from his drink, listening to the music playing in the background while thinking about what they were going to do. It would most definitely be dangerous. The most dangerous thing he would ever have done but it was necessary.

"So your finally back." Pekis looked up to see Bitsine standing next to him. A moment later Kelly emergy from behind smiling seeing him again.

Pekis smiled back, his teeth not bothering them one bit as they sat down across from him. The waiter from before took notice of the new arrivals and came by to take their orders. Bitsine just asked for whatever Pekis was having and Kelly, not in the mood for more booze after last night, just asked for a glass of water.

After taking a swig, Bitsine was the first to start, "Your back after spending a couple of days in the jungle and you treat us to a club. Nice to know you appreciate us."

"Of course I do."

Kelly sipped on her water before asked him, "So what's up? Aepvis told us you wanted to talk about something. Is it bad?"

"No." Pekis leaned forward putting two hands in front of him. "But it is important."

"Shoot," Bitsine said.

Pekis spent the next hour explaining everything. Where he went, the trail he was following, where it ended, the entries in Pahanin's Errata, all ending with Pekis' talk with the Vanguard more than an hour ago. Kelly and Bitsine took in every word, calling for refills whenever they ran out. By the end of, Pekis sat back, taking another sip from his glass, watching as his teammates processed the information.

Kelly rubbed her chin thinking about it. Going into the Vault of Glass? She wasn't completely sure. She understood why he wanted to go, but were they really up to the task for something like this? Sure Bitsine has Military experience from before the collapse and Pekis probably has a similar background that he still refuses to share but she herself was just didn't. In fact when it came to being Guardians waging war on the Darkness they were all still relatively new to it. Sure they defeated the Black Garden, Sepiks prime, and a Gate Lord, but A lot of the older Guardians have been fighting for years, decades, centuries. wouldn't there be someone more qualified?

Bitsine picked up her glass, downing what was left of the contents down her throat then slammed it back on the table, "I'm In." Her no doubt tone left Kelly speechless.

"You are certain?" Pekis asked making sure.

"Completely. From what you said the Vault is probably where that Vex from before is calling home and I still owe it a lot of payback. Plus we can't let what Pahanin went through go unavenged and then there's that thing with the Vex trying to take over the system so count me in. Gives me a chance to test out my new ship!" Bitsine finished enthusiastically.

The other day the Future War Cult representative, Lakshmi-2, heard of Bitsine's predicament regarded her ship during a not so veiled incident on Venus. News of the Legionless Mind had begun spreading amongst the Guardians in the Tower, thanks to some leaked documents, which sparked several religious and philosophical debates regarding the Light. The Vanguard attempted to keep the Vex Mind's power a secret but now they had to focus on keeping the information from getting to the denizens of the City with success as they, with help from the Speaker, prohibited anyone from sharing the knowledge with the public. At the moment the last thing they needed was a panic caused by the fact that the power that was being used to protect the City was now also being used by one of their enemies.

Because of Burning Light's allegiance to Future War Cult, the feats they accomplished managed to get the faction some extra prestige in the City so as a show of gratitude Lakshmi arrange for an unused Teilhard War starship to be transferred to Bitsine ownership, which she was immensely thankful for.

Pekis had a feeling that would be Bitsine's answer. "And what of you?" He asked his secret lover. Or unknown to him, not so secret.

drawing strength from Bitsine's confidence, "Yes." was her answer. Despite her doubts, it was them that destroyed the Devils' Prime Servitor, tore out a Gate Lord's eye, broke the Cabal exclusion zone and killed the Black Garden's Heart. Maybe they were rather new but they proved they were capable. And on top of that, Kelly wasn't about to let Pekis go down into some deep dark hole without her. There was already enough for her to worry about without the fear that Pekis might die a permanent death. But there was one other thing on her mind. "But are you sure we can do this with just us. I'd feel better if we had some backup."

Pekis, already ahead of her, told her, "I made a request to Ellie earlier that her team join us. She said she would speak with Crux and Avez."

"Alright!" Bitsine exclaimed. "The six of us going on a search and destroy mission! This is gonna be fun! What do we call it? An invasion? An infiltration?" Bitsine rubbed her chin thinking of the proper word.

Off the top of Kelly's head, "A raid?"

Bitsine snapped her fingers and pointed at her. "Perfect! We're going on a raid! We're gonna raid the Vault of Glass!" She waved at the waiter. "Another round over here for all three us." The waiter came over dropping off three filled glasses for the Guardians. Bitsine grabbed one, holding it up waiting for her team to do the same. Pekis did so as well, leaving Kelly who, while reluctant, did the same. "To the raid." the three of them tapped their glasses together and drank. Bitsine finished first with Pekis second and Kelly last.

They spent some time chatting in regards to preparations then the waiter came by with the check. The Guardian split the check up leaving three small piles of glimmer to pay and decided to leave. Kelly was the first to head to the door when someone grabbed her by the arm. Looking at the culprit, it was a human Titian who looked like he had a few too many. "Hey... what's nice lady like you doing with a freak of nature like that?" He slurred, pointing at the Fallen in the room.

Not only was she offended by the insulting remark towards Pekis, but Kelly was also absolutely disgusted by the heavy smell of alcohol on his breath. Pulling his hand off her, she tried to walk away when he grabbed her again this time with more force. "Don't you walk away from-"

When Pekis was about to go over and wrap his hand around his throat, Bitsine went up to the man and shoved him away. "Fuck off and go pass out on the toilet you asshole!" Bitsine remark attracted the attention of everyone there.

Stumbling back and catching one of the tables to support himself he glared at Bitsine and after rummaging around his jumbled up memories he recognized her. "Aren't you that dumbass who blew up Shaxx's ra-" Bitsine punched him in the face breaking his nose and making him fall and hit his head on the edge of the table, knocking him out.

Making a spitting sound she turned to the rest of the customers who look at her with shock and she asked, "Anyone else?" No one said anything. The ones that were friends with the Titian considered doing something but when they saw Pekis they recalled hearing rumors regarding the fight in the Hanger involving some eye gouging, so they just left things as they were. Except for the manager who told her to leave and she did with her friends close behind.

Outside Kelly told her, "Thanks."

"That guy was asking for it," Bitsine replied.

"If you hadn't, I would have crushed his throat," told Pekis.

Kelly smiled hearing that. Knowing Pekis would go to such lengths for her of his feelings towards her. But at the moment there was one thing that concerned her. "Pekis, If we do go through with this, is there a specific target that we'll be going after? I don't want to be running around randomly searching for something we don't know is there or not."

"There is. The one that the Legionless answers to. It is the one that controls the Vault. I'll explain more when the others meet with us." Pekis explained.

That being enough for the time being Kelly agreed and the three of them left to make preparations.

 **Several Hours, Afternoon**

"So the six of us are supposed to go into the Vault of Glass, kill shit tons of robots, get payback from the Legionless Mind, and kill... what did you call it? Atheon?"

"Simply put, yes," Pekis responded with his arms folded looking around the sizable living room examining the trophies, weapons, and decorations that were displayed all around them.

"I'm in." Crux sat down on a couch, put his feet up on the table in front of him. Avez sat next to him, leaning forward elbows on knees, tapping his fingers thinking about all he just heard. "And what did you call?" He asked Bitsine.

"A raid," she said. "Kelly's idea."

"Cool."

Sometime after Burning Light finished their discussion, they received a message from Ellie asking them to meet with her team at their private quarters. At first, they were puzzled at the request. If their own rooms were example enough then having six Guardians in one at the same time would have been far too cramped. Pekis and Kelly's quarters consisted of two small rooms, one acting as the bedroom with beds, some desks and the second being the bathroom with a toilet and shower with Bitsine's being largely similar except no bathroom and Exos had not to need for them.

When they got there, the fireteam had a great realization. Compared to their own living arrangements, Ellie, Crux, and Avez were living the high life. The quarters that they shared wasn't only bigger than their own but had multiple rooms for allowing for each of them to have their own private bedroom. As Hammer Scorch had been around for much longer than Burning Light, they manage to accomplish missions and feats that earned several perks over the years such as an upgrade from their previous living arrangement that were the same as Burning Light's.

Crux gave them a tour, showing their guest each of their rooms and pointing out the different trophies and mementos they gathered during their time out in the system.

During their visit Pekis discussed his findings on Venus and the entries in Pahanin's Errata that detailed his previous failed incursion into the Vault of Glass including the main target of their attempt. The centerpiece and ruler of the Vault of Glass, Atheon, Time's Conflux. An entity with absolute control over the Vex realm that oversaw the Vex's designs to integrate the solar system into their vast network.

Kelly and Ellie supported Pekis findings with their own that they gathered from their research into the Vex. Data logs that they uncovered from the Vex mentioned Atheon's name in numerous texts regarding the progress of their plan with schematics of the Vault's power and security networks being funneled into and controlled by single Axis Mind.

All the while Bitsine was holding in an abundance of jealousy. Her own room that was a few levels below Pekis and Kelly's was more or less the same as theirs but unfortunately, her roommate wasn't so easy to get along with. She was one of those no-nonsense Titians that generally lacked a sense of humor or fun witch tended to create problems with Bitsine who had a more happy-go-lucky personality. On one occasion, After Bitsine and her team destroyed the Heart, the Titian in question had said to her, "I don't understand why someone a capable as that Warlock on your fireteam would associate herself with you or that filthy scavenger." That comment caused an all-out fistfight between the two of them that left their room trashed. Afterward, Bitsine planned to put in a request for a different assigned room but the other beat her to it telling her she was done dealing with "Undisiple rabble" like her.

Bitsine had been thinking about it so much she did not realize that her face was making a glare as she uttered out loud, "Bitch!"

"What!?" Ellie, who was sitting in an armchair directly across from Bitsine and seemed to be receiving the brunt of the glare, slammed her cup of water on the table next to her outraged.

Everyone else was speechless except for Bitsine who just realized what she just blurted out and at whom. Ellie stood up as Bitsine raised her hands apologetically, "NoNoNoNo, not you! I was just thinking about someone else! I'm sorry!"

Still scowling, Ellie sat back down, picking her cup back up taking sips. Bitsine's arms slumped, laying back she felt Kelly's hand on her shoulder. "Something you want to talk about?"

"Not really."

"Okay then," Crux attempted to ease the tension. "I'm all for this raid. What about you, Avez?"

"I will go as well. Pekis is right. The Vex cannot be ignored. This "Time's Conflux" must be destroyed!" Avez, motivate to action, finished striking his hand on the stone wall making a large crack.

"Avez, not again." Rubbing her head, Ellie set her cup down again. This was the third time this month. Was it too much to ask that they don't damage their home?

"I'll fix it." Avez's Ghost, Jade, came out, firing a beam of light at the crack using her glimmer reserves to fix it. "Done. You guys should start paying me for this."

"We don't get paid so why should you?" Dex asked exiting Ellie's inventory.

"What do you mean you don't get paid?" Crux asked. "We got loads of glimmer to use."

"That your glimmer, not ours." Soul replied now joining the conversation. "And you already spent most of it on a new ship!"

"That sucks because my ship was free." Bitsine rubbed in getting a look from Soul.

The rest of the Ghost appeared and started throwing in their thoughts on the subject for a minute until Pekis, fed up with the bickering, said, "Enough!" He bellowed stomping his foot with all the authority he could muster, silencing everyone. "This squabbling achieves nothing!"

The room went quiet, one by one the Ghost disappeared from sight, Aepvis being the last as he thought, 'You really know how to take charge.'

Pekis poster seemed to relax as he folded his arms again.

"It's decided then." Ellie stood up, "We'll go with you."

"Thank you." Pekis said, "You have our gratitude."

"Hell yeah!" Bitsine practically jumped in excitement. The six of them were actually gonna go on a mission together for the first time! It wasn't going be like the last few time they were together where it just sort of worked out that way by circumstance. They were all intentionally coming together as one team.

While everyone was enjoying the moment, having decided to work together on this Avez had an Idea. "You know if we're going to be working together on this I believe it would be to test our mettle against one another."

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked.

"I believe that if our two teams are really going to unite then we must determine where we stand with each other."

"You wish to test our strength." The Fallen Hunter pointed out. Having been born and raised in a Fallen House, Pekis was all too familiar with those seeking challenges to prove their superiority and gain status as he himself became more of a target over the years as his rank and reputation continued to increase. too bad for them.

"You mean a Crucible match!?" Bitsine said.

"Yes," Avez answered. "Your team against ours."

"I'm in." Crux said quickly.

"Me too." Bitsine also agreed.

Everyone else soon agreed. All the time they spent fighting alongside one another they never thought about what if they were on opposing teams. Perhaps it was time to find out. The Vanguard was still debating and the Vex wasn't mounting any offensives anytime soon so why not. This would probably be as good of a time as any.

Bitsine smiled, "This is gonna be good!"


	39. Chapter 39

**The next day, Noon**

 **Mars, Black Garden, Pantheon**

Following Burning Light's and Hammer Scorch's discussion concerning the Vault of Glass, they had all agreed to have a Crucible match with each other to see where they stood with each other. Eager to do battle, they all went together to speak to Lord Shaxx about reserving one of the Crucible arenas. The Crucible is, at its core, a training exercise created following the Great Disaster to help new Guardians hone their combat skills, but was also a way for Guardians to compete with each other for recognition, and rewards. It became so popular over the years that matches are broadcast to the City for the public to watch and place bets on teams.

It was also possible for Guardians to make reservations with Shaxx so they could have private matches in the arenas of their choosing. But because of the frequencies of Crucible matches, the reservations had to be made ahead of time. Unfortunately for the two teams of Guardians, When they first spoke to Shaxx, he told them that all the arenas that were currently in use by the Crucible were booked for the next week, but he did mention that there was a new arena that his Red Jacks secured on Mars. One that was made possible because of Burning Light's victory in the Black Garden weeks prior and seeing as how it was because of them Shaxx gave the Guardians a chance to be the first ones to do battle in the new Crucible arena he dubbed the Pantheon.

Interested, the Guardians agreed to have their private match the following morning so Shaxx's Red Jacks could finish establishing a perimeter around the arena. While the Vex's hold on the Black Garden is broken, they still maintain a presence as they search for a way to regain control. And it would be a killjoy for the Vex to attack while they had their match.

Currently, the match was underway. After several deaths and revives, Kelly took a minute to admire the view they were privy to. Overlooking the vast expanse, the Warlock was amazed by how beautiful the Black Garden became without the corrupting Darkness at its center. The green hue that illuminated the Garden, intricate chasms that ran the entirety of it, fields of grass and red flowers. It was something to behold.

"Uh, Kelly? Less sightseeing, more shooting, maybe?" Walker told his Guardian who seem to have forgotten they were in a Crucible match.

"Yeah, yeah." Kelly put her helmet back on, griping her SUROS Regime as she ran forward towards the center where the action was happening.

There, Bitsine and Pekis were exchanging bullets with their opponents. Pekis looked down the scope of his Efrideet's Spear, seeing Crux's helmet he pulled the trigger only for him to duck out of the way when he saw Pekis' scope's glare. "Damn it!"

Pekis took return fire from Crux's Gheleon's Demise. Two bullets struck his shields, forcing him behind cover. "Not gonna be that easy!" Crux kept laying down fire targeting the edges of the pillar Pekis used where glimpses of his armor would stick out now and again.

Pekis switched to his Stranger's Rifle, sticking his head out to the right baiting Crux's attention to that side, which worked as the Fallen pulled back immediately before bullets started flying through that area, then he rushed out the left, firing a burst right at the other Hunter. Realizing he was duped, Crux adjusts his sights a few inches to the left when two bullets punched through his shoulder. "Ahh!" This took him by surprise. Rather than bouncing off his shields as he expected, they phased through them hitting the metal body he had under his armor. Pekis kept up the advantage, sending another burst, lodging two more bullets in Crux's chest and throat and two in his head.

Crux's body was transmatted away from the site of his death to a safe area where he could be revived. Yards away, Bitsine was charging on Avez's position as he rained automatic fire on her from the bridge in the center of the map, Her shields and armor taking most of the damage. She got into a blind spot, breaking her from Avez's line of sight while she ran up the stairs to his position. Getting to the top, she was met with for gunfire and retaliated with her Perun's Fire, solar orbs of energy heading right for him. Two hit their mark taking out his shields, forcing him to back up. Her armor taking a beating, Bitsine rushed him getting close enough to knock his gun out of his hand and tackle him.

They both fell to the ground, Bitsine on top she lifted herself, raising her fist to bring it down on the other Titian only to be beaten to the punch. Avez struck her in her helmeted face, stunning her long enough to grab her by the shoulder and pull her down while raising his head up. The headbutt caused a small ding sound from the two metal helmets colliding and gave the Awoken Titian a chance to shove his opponent off her so he could scramble to get his weapon back, but Bitsine wasn't letting him off the hook. Just as his fingers grazed the grip of his auto rifle, Bitsine tackled him again, this time sending them both falling off the bridge and with them in their tangled state they couldn't use their Light to slow their descent.

Avez hit the grass cover dirt first, breaking Bitsine fall as she landed on top of him. The wind knocked out of him he didn't put up much of a fight when she grabbed his head, slammed it into the ground. She repeated the process several times before he started glowing with void power. The surge of energy burned Bitsine's hand, forcing her to let go allowing him to twist his body enough to strike her with the shield now attached to his arm. It hit her with the force of a bomb, breaking her armor but she was still alive.

Struggling to get up, Bitsine supported herself on a wall while her Ghost got to fixing the damage. When her vision cleared up, she said "Fuck." when she saw Avez standing with his Sentinel shield winding his shield arm up for a throw when a bright flash appeared in front of her and dashed right for Avez. By the time his mind had registered the threat, Pekis was already in front of him arc swords in hand. Avez jumped back, Pekis slashing ahead, cutting through his chest armor and rib cage.

Ignoring the pain, Avez threw his shield, the Hunter vanishing from sight before impact. Bitsine dropped to the floor, avoiding the purple disk that hit the wall she was leaning on causing chunks to break off. "That was close!"

But not closer compared to when Pekis reappeared behind Avez prepared to make a finishing blow. Thinking fast, Avez ducked narrowly dodging a decapitation, unable to breathe due to his lungs having been cut until Jade managed to heal the wound. Pekis was about to strike again when the thrown shield from before came back so instead he teleported again reappearing above Avez over the path of the shield, and when it passed, he came back down to finish him off. Avez's shield disappeared and rematerialized on his arm, raising it above him to block. Pekis adjusted his swords to go for a stab to pierce right through his defenses when the void energy around Avez expanded rapidly with the Hunter close enough to be pushed away by it.

Pekis landed a few yards away, holding his swords invertedly while the Titian, the expanded energy returned to the shield, stood pounding his shield ready for the next attack. Avez was so focused on Pekis that he completely forgot about the other Titian who recovered from her injuries and was now right behind him. Pekis could only smile as the women, glowing with arc, dealt a substantial blow to his side, the two opposing forces of Light clashing against one another, forcing him to his knees. Bitsine wrapped both arms around his neck, putting the squeeze on the struggling Titian.

The void energy protected Avez from being electrocuted by Bitsine's electricity. He fought tenaciously to break free of Bitsine's hold, attempting to strike at her with his shield but was not in a proper angle to be effective. Bitsine increased the pressure, cutting off Avez supply of oxygen then finally... Crack! Avez's neck bones gave out, being crushed as Bitsine felt them snap. She let go, the auras around her and Avez disappearing while his lifeless body hit the ground.

Like Crux, Avez's body was transmatted away for safe revival leaving Bitsine and Pekis to regroup. "This is fun!" Bitsine was practically jumping with joy over her victory.

Pekis' own power ceased as well, returning him to his normal state. While he didn't think killing each other over and over was an ideal activity for fun, he did find amusement in the competitiveness of the match. "They are a challenge to look forward to."

"Aw, come on! you can get more hyped than-"

Pekis cut her off, seeing an incoming threat, "Behind you!"

Bitsine turned around with her Dealbreaker in hand only to have enough time to say, "FU-" She was vaporized in a purple explosion with the atoms being done away with by a swirling vortex that came after.

Pekis took on fire from above after that. Running to cover, he glanced over his shoulder to see a robbed figure hover in the air with an Assembly II in her hands. The Warlock continued holding down the trigger, forcing the Hunter behind cover as he returned fire with his For The People. Her shields taking damage, Ellie ceased hovering, feet touching the ground she threw a scatter grenade to flush him out. This worked, Pekis out in the open his shields went down from sustained damage.

Two bullets lodged themselves in his chest armor and another in his arm. Ellie's gun ran empty, giving Pekis the chance to heal and return fire. Ellie was quick, no time to reload and no nearby cover, she decided to close the gap, using her agility and Light to avoid death, getting close enough to kick the rifle out of Pekis' hands where the real fight began.

His rifle lost, the Hunter raised his fists sending out a jab that was parried by the Warlock who grabbed his arm then used her Light to jump over him, pulling his arm behind him at a sharp angle. Feeling his ligaments crying in pain, he reached behind him with his lower appendages, grasping Ellie's abdomen his claws digging into the combat fabric pricking the skin beneath. She took a step back, prying herself out of his sharp clutches and pulled his arm down, forcing him to fall. Going with, Pekis used the momentum rolled backward bringing his feet together as they went over his head at the Human where they made contact with her chest.

The impact alone made Ellie stop breathing, forcing her back several feet while Pekis regain his footing. She took in several deep breaths while she rubbed her chest, the pain fading her composure recovered and was ready for the next confrontation.

The sounds of gunfire echoed from another part of the map, most likely their allies doing battle with one another. Not taking chances, they took micro steps, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Behind her helmet, Ellie's eyes darted between Pekis upper and lower arms, trying to figure out which ones he'll use first. After a minute, she decided to go for it and lunged. Pekis blocked the first set of attacks Ellie made, getting a feel for her rhythm then swatted her fists away, leaving her open for his own.

Ellie's body ached from the first three blows, the last one rattling her head. She recovered in time to see him bringing his leg around to strike her side except she jumped back in time to avoid it throwing him off balance. Taking advantage of it, She jumped forward kicking him the face, using her Light to levitate, spinning around for a robust double kick. Pekis stumbled back vulnerable for the next series of attacks that ended with a sharp kick to the gut.

Pekis fell back with a thud. holding his stomach, he told her, "You are a fierce warrior."

"Thanks," Pekis heard the sound of a clip being inserted. "I use to do kickboxing back in the day. Mix that with the Light, and you felt the result." Ellie cocked her rifle. "You're pretty good too."

Elsewhere, Kelly was exchanging rounds with Crux who, after being revived, set out to get payback from Pekis but was intercepted by the other team's Warlock. Kelly advanced on Crux's position with her Culling machine gun, keeping him pinned. Not taking chances, The Hunter fired blindly, not sticking his head out to avoid a headshot, and instead readied his knife for when she got close. Kelly stopped firing, trailing on caution she stayed at a distance creating a solar grenade in her hand.

With the sounds of gunfire stopping, Crux looked out, seeing what she was planning, he moved just as a small sun formed where he was. "Hell no! I'm not getting burned alive again!" Crux's body burned with his own solar Light, a Golden gun forming in his hand.

Kelly got a few shots off, screwing up Crux's aim so rather than a kill shot the solar bullet blew off Kelly right arm. Her gun dropped, screeching in pain at the loss of an appendage.

Crux winced in remembrance, "Sorry."

The stump attached to her shoulder sizzled, the wound cauterized Kelly lost her balance falling back, the second shot missing her head. Kelly fell down the flight of steps she used, her back landing of the moss-covered floor not getting a chance to get up when Crux finished her with a shot to the chest, disintegrating her body.

"That's what you get!" Crux announced triumphantly. He took the chance to enjoy the moment that didn't last.

"And this is what you get!" Bitsine threw a pulse grenade, the blast damaging Crux's shields and stunning him long enough for her to get close. She tackled him into the wall, he tried to push her off but wasn't blessed with Titian strength. Bitsine pummeled him, each hit more ferocious than the last. Somewhere amid the beating, the Hunter found the strength the push Bitsine away, kicking her into the opposing wall. Taking out his knife, he lunged, attempting to finish her quickly, but she grabbed his arm, twisting it then grabbed his head and bashed it into the wall.

Crux's arm lit up with solar fire, burning Bitsine, forcing her to let go. "Damn, that hot!"

"That's the Idea!" Crux threw a solar knife, stabbing Bitsine in the chest, the heat burning her body and melting the armor around the blade. The male Exo pulled out his Matador 64, blasting the female. Bitsine was blown back, falling on her back dead. "Gotcha!" It was not the end; however, as he could hear the sounds of battle nearby.

Pekis and Ellie fired at each other, relentlessly. They ran around the area, shooting each other like they couldn't run out. Pekis took cover, reloading his duel shock pistols while Ellie moved in on him. He walked out, repeatedly pulling the triggers all the while doing his best to avoid the incoming fire. Soon enough, they were in each other's faces.

Ellie rushed him leaping to strike him back with both feet. Pekis avoid it, grabbing her in the air and throwing her across the floor, she rolled back to her feet in time for him to wrap his fingers around her throat, lifting her off her and squeezed. The Hunter's grip cut off her air flow, chocking her. She responded by grabbing his arm, burning it with her Light. He persisted, still holding on tight he pulled out his knife about to bury it in her heart when was struck on his side by a mighty fist.

Avez caused Pekis to let go, releasing Warlock as he held his body in pain. He turned to face him, receiving a shoulder charge for it, pushing him back with his feet sliding across the ground. Before he could reach for his weapon, a cloaked figure jumped in the air, kicking his face, knocking him on the floor. Pekis fell on his chest, working on getting up, he heard the other team's hunter boasting.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Crux jumped with excitement with Avez helping Ellie up a few feet behind him.

"That was unpleasant." Ellie rubbed her throat, finding her balance she and Avez turned back to the Fallen Hunter.

"But this is rather enjoyable," Avez said joining Crux ahead. "You are strong, Pekis, but you can't take all of us."

"But feel free to try! This is a crucible match after all," said Crux.

Pekis got up to one knee, eyes closed, he remembered the last time he faltered and vowed not to do so again. An Orange light formed in his hand, his other gripping his knife even tighter. "I'm not done yet!" He threw the swarm grenade behind him. Landing between the Hunter and Titian, they spit up while a swarm of micro bombs chased them. Pekis got up, turning around, he declared, "I'll take you all on!"

Pekis went for Avez first. His shield down from the swarm, he saw the Fallen coming for him. Fists raised he threw a punch only for it to be caught by Pekis who then struck him in the face, dazing him long enough for Pekis to jam the blade into his gut. He didn't stop there. After pulling the dagger out, leaving a hole large enough for a squirt of Awoken blood to come out, He spun around him, pinning Avez's arm to his back and hooking a leg around Avez's. Pulling the leg back to get Avez on one knee, Pekis then proceeded to stab him in the heart, twisting the blade inside for maximum damage as he snapped his neck.

Avez dead, the other two came at the Eliksni. Pekis planted a trip mine on the Titian's back, lifting him up and throwing the body at the Warlock who got caught in the red laser and was blown away by the explosion.

"Holy shit!" Crux was shocked seeing how his teammates were dealt with. Ellie survived and waited for her Ghost to heal her. Crux fired his Last Word, two bullets hitting their mark when Pekis threw a flux grenade, the homing explosives distracting him long enough for the Fallen to get close. Crux got off one last shot before Pekis grabbed him, pulling his arm and bringing an elbow down on his, breaking the limb off. "Again!?" Pekis used the severed arm to hit Crux twice on the head, putting him off balance so he could kick him in the gut, forcing him to the ground. Pekis stomped one foot on his chest, and the last thing Crux saw before death was the burning barrel of Pekis Lord of Wolves being shoved into his face.

Ellie recovered, seeing Crux have his head blown off she went in for revenge. Firing her Assembly II on the run, Pekis shields took a beating, breaking and leaving him open for when she slid in front of him and hit him with an Energy Drain. Pekis felt his energy being sapped by the attack, his armor being eaten away by the void power. In his moment of Weakness, He saw Ellie charging her hand with fire for a finisher. His adrenaline kicked in, with quick reflexes, he avoided the scorch aimed at him and positioned himself behind, holding her arm back and grabbing onto her throat, but this time with his claws digging into her skin.

Blood stained his hand. Ellie felt his fingers cutting through muscle and tissue until finally. Yank! Pekis ripped Ellie's throat open, blood gushing, he dropped the piece of dripping meat in his hand, allowing her body to fall where it may. Blood pooled around Ellie's head then she disappeared in a flash.

And it was over. Pekis dropped to his knees, exhausted. Aepvis repaired the damage he took, readying him for more. "Wow." Was all he could say to what he just bore witness to.

Pekis didn't say anything. Instead, he just got back up checking the radar for where his friends might be. They still had a bit more to go.

 **Half an hour Later**

It was only a matter of time before both teams had their fill of killing and decided to call for an end to the fighting. In the end, the match was over with Burning Light having 107 kills with Hammer Scorch trailing behind with 104. Tired and low on ammo, both teams decided to rest on the bridge overlooking the vast expanse of the Black Garden, enjoying some snacks they had on hand while discussing various topics.

"He actually broke your arm off and beat you with it!?" Bitsine laughed while Crux looked away, unhappy. "I wish I could have seen it."

"Wait until it happens to you." Crux warned, rubbing his arm. He already had his arm taken off once earlier in the week, and now it happened again.

"I think this is a good place for a Crucible match," Ellie said, taking a sip of her drink, messaging her throat, remembering the pain she felt a little while ago. "Maybe you should tell Pekis he doesn't have to get so serious during a match. Ripping people's throats out is just excessive."

"I'll talk to him later," Kelly assured, eating a snack bar. She looked over at Pekis, smiling, seeing him sharing some food with Avez.

Pekis and Avez sat together silently eating some shared beef jerky Avez had. Pekis chewed on a piece in his mouth, thinking about the future. They had a long road ahead of them, and he had demons to deal with, but at least he wasn't alone. He had others by his side, and they would face whatever threats came.

An hour later, the Guardians finished their food and returned to the Tower. The first thing they did upon return was informed Shaxx about what they thought of the new Crucible map. After going over their reviews, and liking their responses, he decided to go ahead and make the Patheon public, giving battling Guardians a new arena to tear each other apart in. Afterward, they all split up to do various things.

Bitsine went off to see Shaxx about getting a new armor set. After seeing her current armor get shattered by Avez's Sentinel Shield, she figured it was time for a change. Ellie went with her, also desiring a change in appearance. Her Iron Banner armor worked well for the past few years, but she had to move forward for the future.

Crux left to turn in some Crucible bounties he completed during their match. After spending most of his glimmer on a new ship he had to get his funds back up or else he'd never hear the end of it from Soul. Avez went to check out some new guns, and Pekis and Ellie went to their room for R&R.

Currently, Kelly was straddling Pekis, her smooth athletic body on top of his as she rode him. Sweat traveled down her naked frame, after so many times with him, she was very much used to his size, allowing her to embrace him with minimal discomfort. Pekis held her tight, matching her movements with his own upward thrusts, his claws digging into her skin but she didn't stop. Her moans outmatched by his snarls, the two lovers continued to indulge in their carnal desires.

She leaned forward, putting her hands on his chest, her eyes glancing at the scars on his body as she focused on his eyes. They increased their pace, the buildup in their body growing with each passing second. They tried to suppress it, to hold out as long as possible before the inevitable climax came forth to put an end to it.

Minutes passed, their strength fading the two guardians felt their bodies giving out, and with a unified cry, their climaxes burst forth. When it was done Kelly collapsed, her face snuggling into his neck her eyes shut, letting her mind drift as Pekis held her, he too falling prey to the tiredness that consumed him. And with that he was out, the couple lying together in slumber with only their Ghosts keeping quiet while they rested.

Hours passed, Pekis slowly came to. Grumbling, his eyes opened, the dim light in the room, allowing him to see his surroundings. "Awake, I see." came the sound of Aepvis' disembodied voice.

"Yes." Pekis tested the control of his limbs. Finding everything alright he sat up he realizing that Kelly was no longer on top of him and that at some point she rolled off him and was now sleeping soundly beside him. Her head resting on the pillow, her body rose and fell in response to her breathing.

He was careful, stroking her side, he took a moment to gaze at her. Watching her sleep so soundly made him smile but also reminded him of another. He looked away, remembering his time before his resurrected when he believed he could bring change only for him to fall just as his people did during the Whirlwind.

"Something on your mind?"

"Just memories." Pekis planted his feet on the floor, being quiet as not to disturb the Warlock.

"Well, whatever it is you have a message," Aepvis explained.

"Message?"

"Yeah. We received it a while ago when you were sleeping. I can't tell who it's from though. It just has coordinates to the lower levels of the Tower, and it says, "Come alone.""

Pekis was suspicious. All these details told him that it was a trap, probably some close-minded Guardians seeking to end him. He decided to go anyway thinking it best to get it out of the way, and if it were a trap, he'd make them bleed slowly. He redressed, his Ghost putting his armor back on.

He took the time to cover the women on the bed with the blanket and left. On his way towards his destination, the other residences of the Tower treated him, more or less, with respect, occasionally getting a glare. Taking the elevator, he pressed the button for the lower levels of the Tower. Stepping out, he could hear the sound of a crowd.

As Pekis went further down the hall, the sound grew louder where he could make out the chatter of different voices. That's when he started noticing the banners of Dead Orbit on the walls. Pekis' face turned sour. He knew about Dead Orbit and remembered speaking to Arach Jalaal weeks ago, and his opinion of them did not change. Cowards who believed that the Traveler and the Earth were dead and running will solve everything.

He detested their cause. Pekis understood that sometimes retreat was necessary but fleeing was not something that should be relied on in the long term. Especially not in this war. Even if Mankind could escape the system entirely, the Darkness wouldn't stop. If was a force that caused the destruction of an untold number of civilizations and had pawns like the Hive that actively sought out other races to exterminate in its name and to make themselves stronger through their Sword Logic. Foes such as this could not be run from. If Dead orbit had their way, they'd only be forced to keep fleeing until their ships ran out of fuel and they became stranded, easy prey for the Maw that destroyed his people's civilization countless centuries ago before his time and will hunt them all till the end of all things.

Pekis came upon an open doorway where the voices were coming from. Treading carefully, he peeked inside, seeing a large assembly area filled with what he guessed was a few hundred Dead Orbit followers considering all the black and white they wore.

"This is one of Dead Orbit's rallies," Aepvis explained making Pekis flinch in surprised. Whenever his Ghost was silent for too long, he tended to forget he was there. "They have things like this over the City."

"Silence." Pekis looked around from his hiding spot, seeing a stage at the back. He made out what he was sure was Dead Orbit Arachs including Jalaal and some Guardians wearing the armor of the faction.

The crowd went quiet when one of the Arachs, a female Exo by the looks of her, stepped forward. She introduced herself as Arach Virtue-37 whom Aepvis informed Pekis was one of Dead Orbit's top brass and one of the original founders. She proceeded to welcome the members of Dead Orbit. "Greetings my fellow compatriots." Her voice sounded elderly and proud. It reminded Pekis of Lakshmi.

"I called for this assemble to address an issue that many of you may or may not be aware of. In recent weeks, recruitment for our cause a taken a slight decline due to outside influences which have caused concern for our faction." By "Outside Influences," Virtue was referring to the recent victories the City has had over the forces of the Darkness in no small part by Pekis and his team. Prior to his arrival, the belief of the City being overrun was commonplace, but after the achievements he made, the people's attitude was beginning to come around with even members of Dead Orbit reconsidering their allegiances, not by a lot, but it was noticeable. There was also the small matter of what Dead Orbit considered to be a slander video being posted on the public web that was basically a certain Titian insulting them and their beliefs. "Rest assured this has in no way affect our standing within the City or efforts to take to the stars." With that, Virtue allowed Jalaal to step forward to share his thoughts on the matter.

"As the acting representative for Dead Orbit in the Tower and Consensus, I urge you all to spread the word of the truth. Tell any, and all who will listen, Humanity's future rests among the stars. Especially those whose faith has been shaken by recent events. Every soul we keep brings us one step further towards our goal. The forces of the Darkness continue to encroach on us, and we must prepare for the day the City fall."

Pekis had heard all he could take and continued following the waypoint Aepvis laid out for him While the Arachs started to get more into Dead Orbit political standing in the Consensus and the Vanguards efforts to defend the City. Then he heard something that stopped him. "What about the Fallen?" Someone in the Crowd asked.

A Human Arach Guardian by the name of Conner, who was in charge of keeping tabs on the Vanguards efforts against the City's enemies, was the one to answer. "The Vanguard has done well to keep the Fallen at bay. After the death of the Devil's prime Servitor, their morale has decreased, so there shouldn't be any major offensives in the near future."

"Not them. I'm talking about the Fallen in the City." Pekis resumed listening, hearing himself being mentioned. "How do we know he's not a spy." The crowd started muttering to each other about the topic of discussion.

The Arachs all started conversing with each other on the matter, and after a few minutes, Jalaal faced the crowd. "We have found no evidence to suggest he may be a spy, but we have taken steps in case there are new developments."

"That's not good enough!"

"Kick him out of the City!"

"Screw that! Just kill him! He probably stole the Light from another Guardian anyway!"

"And his fireteam too! Their traitors to their own people!"

The general air became increasingly negative as more and more people started throwing their opinions in with some also suggesting that Pekis Ghost should be destroyed for treason. It got worse when other people stating what they were suggesting was going too far and that the Hunter should just be left alone. The Arachs struggled to get everyone to calm down before it turned into a riot as people started shoving each other. This Violent outcome was only averted when the Guardians, starting with Conner, all raised their guns and began firing into the air, shutting everyone the hell up as they ducked for cover screaming.

No one said a word, to scared to stand up. Everything quiet, Virtue announced with all her authority, "If any action is to be taken against the Fallen, it will be up to the Vanguard and the Consensus to decide! We are not animals, and I will not have Dead Orbit's reputation be soiled by rouge anarchists! We will reconvene int he morning and allow calmer heads to prevail."

Having witnessed the whole thing Pekis had unholstered his shock pistols, ready in case things got out of hand. "Wow! That escalated fast." Aepvis commented. "Do you think they'll actually try something on us?"

"If they wish to live, they won't." Pekis reholstered his pistols and resumed following the waypoint, growling all the while. Aepvis put together a small data pack on what happened and sent it to the Vanguard. If Dead Orbit had members that were serious about killing them and their teammates than the Vanguard should be told about it.

Pekis mentally snarled at what he heard. If they wished to call him Fallen, so be it because far as he was concerned, he had fallen himself, maybe not as his people have, but he did. If Dead Orbit sough to make an attempt on his life, they were free to send as many would be assassins as they wish. He'd send their mangled carcasses back to their precious faction piece by piece. But if they even tried to lay a hand on Aepvis, Kelly, Bitsine or any other of his comrades, he would burn their entire pathetic cause to the ground and leave the ruins of their failed movement buried in ashes where it belonged! He already lost everything once because of his naivety, and he wasn't about to make the same mistake again, so for Dead Orbit's sake, they had better back off him.

Eventually, Pekis found himself wandering in a dimly light section of the level he was in. The glow of his eyes became more apparent the deeper he went. Judging by the supply crates he passed, he guessed he was in some storage area. He came to the end of the hall where the waypoint led. It was a dead end, and there was no one in sight. Smelling the air, he couldn't pick up the sent of anyone. He cursed. This was either a trap like he expected or someone idea of a prank if he was using the term correctly. And somehow he found the latter to be far more irritating.

Pekis was about to leave when a door he was standing next to slid open by itself with a deep raspy voice called to him. "Come." Pekis took a step back, not liking what he heard. Something about it made his body tense up. "Come. There are no tricks here. The Nine will not allow it."

That word struck a bell. From what he heard, the Nine were a mysterious race that no one really knew anything about that hid far from anyone in the system. No one even knew what they looked like as they usually send emissaries to make contact on their behalf.

Taking a breath, he went inside seeing it that the room was another storage space with Dead Orbit insignia on the supplies inside. Pekis searched but couldn't find the whoever it was that called him until a figure step out of the shadows wears a black robe and hood. "Welcome."

Pekis kept his distance, narrowing his eyes on the strange creature before him. What stood out most was the glow of his yellow eyes and featureless black face that looked like it was made out of shadows. The Hunter sniffed the air, not liking the strange decaying scent he gave off. Pekis stood prepared asking, "What are you, creature?" His tone was anything but friendly.

"I am a servant of the Nine. But you may call me Xur if you chose."

"Xur?" Pekis heard that name before. Kelly and Bitsine mention it him weeks ago after they visited him to get equipment. His suspicions of Xur did not fade. "What do you want of me?"

"It is not my will that I am here. The Nine have sent me as a message, Baron Peekis."

Pekis took a step back, placing a hand over his pistol. "How do you know of my past?" Pekis was certain that the Vanguard hadn't made what he told about himself public knowledge, so how could the Nine know?

"The Nine have been watching you for a long, long time. They've witnessed your rise to power and fall from grace. You've experienced many hardships, felt the pain of much loss, and still continue to persevere. Why?"

Pekis' body slackened. Why did he push on when he lost so much? "Because I found new bonds to draw strength from. Because I know that those I've lost wouldn't want me to give in and die. Because I won't rest until those that are responsible pay for what they've done." Pekis straightened up, standing firm with fire in his eyes. He wasn't done living. He has a new purpose and will fight for it as long as it takes.

Xur took a moment to examine his form. He stood with pride. "Your will is strong as the Nine foretold. But when you seek vengeance, do not let it consume you lest you become another pawn for the Deep." Xur turned around, his limbs twitching he reached behind a crate, picking up a large rectangular chest, setting it down on a nearby table between them. The lid that the mark of the Nine engraved on it. "The Nine have sent me to deliver a gift to you."

"A gift? Why?"

"You have a role to play. What you find in that timeless space is only the beginning." Xur undid the latches keeping the chest locked and backed away, letting Pekis open it himself. "Both the Nine and I believe it with be to your liking."

Hesitantly, he stepped forward, taking hold with two hands he opened the chest. Inside was a sheathed sword about the right size for him. The overall appearance of it seemed to be of Eliksni design. He picked it up, letting it lay flat in his hand as he examined it. The sheath itself was made of polished metal the same color as the darker parts of his armor with the mark of the Nine on it and a strap for someone to carry on their back. Pekis grabbed the grip pulling out the blade hidden inside.

The sharp sound made as the metal slowly grazed the inside of the sheath echoed through the hall. Pekis put the sheath down, placing the flat of the blade on his palm while his other hand felt the brown leather straps covering the grip. His fingers glided across the smooth metal, sensing a power coming from it, noticing a faint purple veil surrounding it. 'Void,' Etched in the metal was a series of intricate lines intersecting, running the length of the blade with three small square holes along the groove and at the base of the sword, just above the guard, was something that surprised him.

It was an Eliksni insignia. One that Pekis was not familiar with, but he could tell it was of his kind. Perhaps belonging to a House lost long ago. Or something new. He was not sure. He lifted the sword in one hand, carefully waving it around to get a feel for it. "Well balanced."

"The Nine are excellent craftsmen I assure you."

"I see." Pekis found an open space, taking the sword in two hands he closed his eyes, letting his years of experience with a sword sink it. When they opened, he began swinging the blade, twirling the weapon around him, showing off his skill. The edge grazed the floor several times, leaving marks, sparks flying but did nothing to bother him while he finished his inspection, standing straight holding the sword directly upward. "A finely crafted blade." He twirled the blade one last time before putting it back in the sheath, laying it down on the table.

"Do you find it acceptable?"

Pekis looked down at it, not wholly trusting the Nine, but he couldn't deny. "It is an excellent weapon. What am I to owe this?"

"Nothing. As I said, you have a role. The Nine have taken an interest in you. Use this blade to bring those who stand in your way to their fates."

Pekis closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Very well." He picked the sword back up. "Does this blade-" Pekis looked over to where Xur was standing only moments ago to find that he was gone. He searched all around him for any indication of where he might have gone, but there was none. Not even Aepvis picked up on anything. Xur just vanished.

This did nothing to appease Pekis' suspicions. Taking it as a sign, he should leave, he wrapped the sheath strap around his torso, hiding the sword he decided to call Fatebringer underneath his cloak where only the sword grip stuck out over his right shoulder. As he was making the last adjustments to the strap when he heard the faint ghostly echo of Xur's voice utter to him. "You have work to do..."

Pekis' eyes darted everywhere for the source but found nothing. "Can we please get out of here before we start seeing ghosts?" Aepvis suggested.

Pekis decided to take him up on that and left. Grabbing Fatebringers' grip, he moved it around a bit to make it more comfortable all the while thinking about what Xur said. 'You have work to do.'

At the same time, Bitsine was going over her new look. "Now this takes me back." She adjusted the gauntlets of her new Commando Type 0 armor. Wearing it, she felt like a real commando even though she never got farther than a regular grunt during her military days.

Close by, Ellie was padding down her new Eclipse Maw VI armor. Pulling on the crossed straps on her chest, she noted that the armor set wasn't quite as flexible as she was used to, but with a few adjustments, her Ghost, Dex, was able to make it more comfortable to wear. On top of that, she liked the looked of combat readiness it gave. Furthermore, she decided to switch out her exotic Light Beyond Nemesis helmet with her exotic Nothing Manacles Gauntlets that she kept stored away in her personal vault in the Tower to enhance her void capabilities. She would have liked trying to wear both exotic pieces at the same time, but because of the strange powers that such armor was infused with, along with the unfortunate history in the City in regards to such actions and warning from the Vanguard, she decided against it. The results of previous attempts by other Guardians had less than favorable results.

Shaxx stood some feet away watching the two Guardians try on their new armor. After they gave him their evaluations on the new Crucible map, he was willing to provide them with a generous discount for the armor. And as a way of saying thanks, that he gave them both legendary weapon engrams plus three more that he had in surplus for the other members of their teams. He also had something for Pekis that he wanted to give personally and sent a message to his Ghost.

After thanking Shaxx for the gifts, the two guardians left with their new looks for all to see. "I'm really digging this armor!" Bitsine commented yet again.

"I can see that." Ellie noticed that Bitsine was walking with a spring in her step.

"So what do you want to do with the old armor?" Dex asked with a feeling about what her answer would be.

"Put it in the Vault." was her answer.

"Wait. What? You save your old armor?" Bitsine asked.

"Yeah. I store a lot of the old stuff I use to use. At first, it was just in case I wanted to use it again, but now I do it to add to my collection." And it's a big collection that she built up over the years either collected from engrams in the field or rewards for her work as a Guardian. There was plenty of space in her vault, and with how secure the Tower is, there was no chance of losing it. Right?

"Huh? I just dismantle the stuff I don't need for raw materials, but everyone has their own way of doing things."

They eventually met back up with their teammates in one of the recreational areas of the Tower, delivering the engrams that Shaxx wanted them to have. After decoding them, the reactions were mixed. Crux got a Havoc Pigeon sidearm which resulted in him having a less than satisfied look on his face. While he didn't hate sidearms, he did prefer weapons with more punch. Non the less it was a gift from Shaxx so he should at least try it out. Ellie, on the other hand, completely lucked out and got an exotic Dragon's Breath rocket launcher.

Seeing the heavy armament painted with a mouth and teeth that Ellie held up, Crux made no attempt to hide his jealousy. "Ahh, come on! I get a pea shooter, and you get that monster!" He sat down with a huff, crossing his arms with his pistol in his lap.

"Calm down, Crux," Avez said inspecting his new The Devil You Know hand cannon. While he was out checking vendors for suitable new weapons, he was unable to find anything that caught his eye, but what he got from the engram Ellie gave him he figured would be adequate. "You already have a grenade launcher."

Crux huffed, "Yeah..." deciding to get over it he put his pistol aside, bringing out said grenade launcher from his inventory. The blue and gold trim of his Prospector shined in the light. "This can fire more ammo than that thing anyway."

"Your right." Ellie loaded her Dragon's Breath, taking aim the lock on setting was now focused on Crux who's face was in her sights. "You wanna compare explosions instead."

Crux whimpered, "N-No..."

Bitsine met up with Kelly in the Courtyard to deliver the engram that was for her. She was still tired after getting out of bed and disappointed to wake up with Pekis gone, but life moves on. After decrypting the engrams, they had Bitsine ended up with a 44 Curtain Call shogun which was convenient since she required a replacement for her last shotgun that got damaged by the Legionless Mind. "Nice! I've been looking to get a new one!"

Kelly smiled, happy that her friend got what she needed. She herself now had an Antiope-D submachine gun. It was a new type of weapon that she hadn't used before though she had heard good things about them. Looking at it in her hand, she facepalmed. How did it come this? How did her life get to the point where she was getting guns as gifts? Whatever happened to getting a girl a ring or just some boring book as a present. She laughed, thinking about how ridiculous the whole situation was and wondered how Pekis was doing.

After getting back to the Upper levels of the Tower, Pekis headed to Shaxx's position when he got a message asking to rendezvous with him. He made it to Shaxx's stand outside the Vanguard meeting room, where he greeted him as a fellow Guardian. "Welcome, Hunter. Glad to could come."

Pekis stood a few feet with his arms folded. "You wish to speak with me?"

"Ah, yes. I have something for you." Shaxx held out his hand where his Ghost appeared. "As a way of saying thanks for your evaluation for my new Crucible map." On Shaxx's desk, there was a glow that faded to reveal a gauntlet. "Here."

Pekis approached the desk, checking out the piece of armor he let his fingers graze the hard white surface of the skull at the top of the sleeve, coming to the conclusion that it was made out of bone. "What is this?"

"That my friend is gauntlet made by an old friend of mine, crafted with the spine of a young Ahamkara."

Pekis took a step back. "What!?" he said, not truly believing it. He heard of the Ahamkara before. Dangerous creatures that were hunted by Guardians centuries ago and were now considered extinct.

Shaxx chuckled. "A lot of people have that reaction, but it is true. It is made from the bones of an Ahamkara that a friend of mine killed long ago. He brought it body back to the City and used its skull and spine to make this."

Pekis lifted the gauntlet up staring into the eye holes of the unfamiliar skull. "And this is what they looked like?"

"Its what one of them looked like. The Ahamkara were shapeshifters so they could change their form at will. It's one of the reasons why they were so dangerous. That and they could get inside people's heads and twist them."

Pekis set it down. Staring at it, he had a strange feeling. "What happened to your friend?"

Shaxx looked away for a moment. "He was killed a century ago at Twilight Gap. His team was taking heavy fire from Fallen from the House of Devils when he was shot by a sniper. His Ghost revived him, but when he was getting up, a bullet ricocheted off the skull and killed his Ghost. After that, he stayed behind laying down covering fire so his fireteam could retreat. After the battle, I went to his last known location and found him bleeding out, and he handed me the gauntlet as a way to remember him." Shaxx ended the story creating an air of silence.

Pekis eyes flashed back to decades ago. He remembered watching under the night sky atop a cliff as the fires of war burned in the distance. "I'm sorry about your friend. I know what it's like to lose friends."

"Were they at Twilight?"

"Some of them."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. You were only defending your home. It's my people who are to blame." Pekis called out Aepvis who began scanning the armor. "Why give me this?"

"I have no use for it, and I have other things to remember him. Perhaps, It will serve you more than it would me."

Aepvis transmatted the gauntlet into Pekis inventory. Since it was initially made for a human, he had to make some tweaks. Pekis had him place the Ahamkara's Spine on his lower left arm. When it was on, he flexed it. It was a good fit, the vertebrae on the forearm didn't get in the way, and the skull fit snug in between his limbs. "Thank you."

"And one more thing. If you start hearing whispers, do not be afraid for the bones have no power, but if they ask if you want something, do not take chances. Ignore them."

Pekis took one more look at the skull on his arm then nodded. He wasn't foolish enough to try making bargains with such things. When he was about to leave, Cayde called out to him. "Hey, Pekis." Pekis turned around, seeing Cayde walking up to him. "Your here. Perfect! That'll save some time." The Hunter stopped, taking note of Pekis' new gauntlet, and the sword grip sticking out behind his shoulder. "Looks like you've been busy. Shaxx, did you give him that?" Cayde pointed to Pekis' lower arm.

"I believe he's earned it," Shaxx answered.

"Huh?"

"Is there something you wish to say?" Pekis questioned.

"Oh, yeah. It's about your request to take the fight right to the Vex's front door."

Cayde had Pekis' full attention. "Yes?"

"Well, after much long boring deliberation, we decided to approve it." Cayde turned around, gesturing him to follow so they could further discuss the topic with the other Vanguard. Pekis had been awaiting this. The Vex had sent their champion to call upon them, and now they would settle the score.


	40. Chapter 40

**50 Years Ago, Year 3664**

 **House of Kings Lair, Earth, Russia, Vologda**

Two figures slept side by side with one another. One was someone who spent many years proving himself to the House, conspiring with like-minded members of House Kings to bring about a new dawn for his people. The other was a scribe who for decades stood by the other, helping him see the fall of a tyrant and the end of the pointless war with Humanity.

The Baron Peekis was beginning to stir from his slumber. Grumbling, his eyes opened, recognizing the surroundings of his private room. The air was filled with ether thanks to the ether pump sitting in the corner of the room. He slowly got up, his upper body exposed to the open air he was careful not to disturb the other who had yet to wake. His feet touching the floor, Peekis turned around to see his love resting peacefully. It made him smile.

Vithras laid on her back with her hands resting on her stomach. Her chest rose and fell in a constant rhythm. Peekis heard her mumbling now and again while he put his armor on as quietly as he could. During that time, he thought about all he had accomplished to get where he was. All those years he spent working to undermined Peldaks' rule, gathering a loyal following while preventing anyone untrustworthy from discovering his plans.

"Peekis?" Peekis turned around seeing Vithras waking up, her hands moving to his side of the bed to only find the residual heat from his body's presence.

He walked over to her, gently grasping one of her hands that was looking for him. "I am here." His voice was soft and reassuring.

Vithras soon followed his example. With his help, she got off the bed, using two hands covering her bulged belly. She had worn her Kings scribe robes to bed, covering her body and keeping her warm. Standing, she took in the familiar scent of Peekis as he made sure she could stand. "I am fine. You needn't worry."

"I know." Peekis couldn't help but worry for her safety. There was so much going on. His plans were close to coming to fruition. They had allies in House Kings positions across the system waiting for the time to strike, to see that the age when being call Fallen would end. And soon he could call himself a father.

After replacing the ether tanks in the pump, they sat down at the table eating their food rations. They conversed on their plans after Peldaks' death, and Peekis became the new Kell of Kings. He would root out all the hate-filled and power-hungry Eliksni and put an end to all hostile actions against the Human city so they could start moving forward with cooperation rather than war.

"You've done well to get us this far." Vithras complemented. "With you, our people will find themselves in the Great Machine's good graces once again."

"I did not do it alone." Peekis was lucky to have found such trusted friends years ago. They helped him through his younger brother's death and worked with him to find more allies. "I would not be here if not for you."

"Yes, you would. It's your destiny to lead our people to a new future."

Peekis appreciated the voice of confidence, but in truth, he didn't believe in things such a destiny. He felt everyone made their own fate in life wherever it led. And speaking of futures, "Even if we achieve victory, there will be more work to do." What he spoke of was even if they overthrew Peldaks and made peace with the Human city, There were still more threats that sought to end them all. Such as those abominations living under the moon's surface.

Just thinking about those creatures soured Peekis' mood. Memories flashed before his eyes making him rub the side of his body that had his burn mark. So many lost under his command. So much pain because of that damn witch!

"Peekis?" Vithras sensed his discomfort.

"It is nothing. We must be ready to speak with Aepvis." They finished up their meals, turning the ether pump off they left side by side. That is how they would face the future, together against the machinations and pawns of the Dark, facing whatever untold minions it had in its possession regardless of where they hid to plot against them.

Whatever the challenge, they would face it and prove themselves worthy to bask in the Great Machine's power just as their ancestors had long ago.

 **Present-day, Morning**

 **Earth, Last City, Tower**

Pekis eyes opened up as he freed himself from his memories. He stood in the Tower hanger waiting for the rest of his team to join him. Around him, workers went about their usual routine, tending to the ships left in their care with Amanda Holiday keeping everything running smoothly. His back leaning against the hull of his ship, the Hunter mind processed the memories of recent events. When Cayde informed him that the Vanguard approved his request to venture into the Vault of Glass, they along with Kelly, Bitsine and the members of Hammer Scorch who were also invited to the briefing upon Burning Light's request and the Vanguard's approval due to their history with the former.

After a considerable talk with the Vanguard, the six Guardians had their mission: Infiltrate the Vault of Glass and destroy its center. As a secondary objective, they were also to ensure that the Legionless Mind met its end as well for the Vex could not be allowed to control any amount of the Light, no matter how small. Bitsine and Crux were especially eager to get another shot a the Vex that had them beaten and destroyed their ships a while back.

With the mysterious nature of the Vault, neither fireteams had much to go on, aside from what Pahanin wrote in his Errata. In it, he spoke of the reason they went into the Vault, the way to open the gate leading, and the Templar that that had decimated his team. Other than that, there wasn't much. In truth, most of the mission basically amounted to going in blind. But even so, this would not deter the Guardians. They've faced untold dangers before, and they were willing to do so again.

Following the mission briefing with the Vanguard, they all went about to begin preparing for their mission and agreed to meet back up in the hanger. Pekis held Pahanin's Errata in his hands, going over the last chapter regarding the Vault as he waited for his teammates. Occasionally a hanger worker would walk by giving him a friendly hello that he would return in kind. The sounds of heavy footstep drew his attention away from the pages and to the Exo Titan approaching.

"Huh, I figured you'd be the first here." Bitsine sat down on a nearby crate, taking out several weapons from her inventory to inspect. "You all set?"

"Yes." Pekis closed the book, choosing to unsheathed his sword Fatebringer from his back instead to examine it again. He hadn't yet had the chance to test it in battle, but if the Nine were as competent of artisans as they claim, then he shouldn't be disappointed.

Bitsine took notice of it. At the briefing, she saw the handle sticking out from under his cloak but wasn't sure what it was, but now she was. "You got a sword now? Where'd you get it?"

"A gift from the Nine." Pekis rested the blade on one of his palms, his fingers gliding on the refined metal feeling the faint power of void, his eyes tracing the line patterns etched into it.

"The Nine? You mean Xur?"

"Yes, he was the one to deliver it." Pekis swung it a few times in the air.

Bitsine saw the sword looked somewhat similar to the ones that the Fallen used but it didn't give off the impression of coming off an assembly line like those. This one was more special than that. "I think it suits you."

Pekis twirled it in his hand one last time then resheathed it on his back. The two of them waited for a few minutes. Bitsine attempted to make small talk with the Hunter with success with things like what he thought about the Last City but then when she tried to ask things about his time before he was a Guardian he brushed her off. "Okay, then." Thankfully they didn't have to wait much longer for two more members of their group arrive. "Hey, about time!"

Crux and Avez approached with the Hunter in the lead. "What? You didn't think we'd miss this party, did you?"

"Well after that ass-kicking you got last time I figured you might be discouraged."

Crux gave a half-hearted chuckle, "Not this time. And what about you? You almost lost your Ghost and got beat pretty good."

Bitsine was silent for a moment, clenching her fists. "I'll make it pay for that!"

Avez took a seat next to Bitsine, telling her, "Don't forget you won't be in this alone."

Bitsine relaxed feeling Avez pat her on the shoulder. "Thanks."

"And I get to inspect the new piece of hardware that you nearly bankrupted us to get." Soul materialize next to Crux. "Now where is it?" Crux point some yards away towards an AX19-SLipper Misfit jumpship parked in front of Pekis' Arcadia Class Jumpship. "Huh? I would have expected you to get something slimmer."

Crux scratched the back of his head, "Well, there wasn't that many options."

"Let's go see if its really worth what you paid for it." Soul floated off towards the ship, Crux following behind praying that she would be satisfied.

Pekis watched the two of them wander off. They amused him. The way they bickered was humorous, but he was glad his relationship with Aepvis wasn't like theirs. He looked over to Avez who's own Ghost, Jade, was out and about looking down at the datapad he took out. "What are you reading?"

Avez looked at him before saying, "Information on the Vex. Battle tactics, weaponry, things like that." He showed the screen to the Hunter, revealing an image of a goblin surrounding by several paragraphs of text, but It was too far away to him to read.

"Why are you reading that?" Jade asked. "I already have all the data on the Vex you could need."

"Just being thorough."

"It's probably not going to do much good. We are going into the Vault of Glass, after all." Bitsine put her weapon aside. "Who knows what we'll find."

Pekis monitored the area around them, seeing the hanger workers going about their business but the two Warlocks of their teams had still not arrived. "Where is Ellie?"

"She went to the Warlock libraries with Kelly. She said they wanted to go over the information the Vex cores had one last time." Avez looked up and down Pekis form, noticing a new piece of armor he had. "Pekis, where did you get that gauntlet?" He pointed at Pekis' lower left arm.

Pekis raise said arm to his chest, looking down at the bones on his forearm. "A gift from Shaxx."

Avez examined it more closely, recognizing that it wasn't made of standard material considering the skull. "Are those bones?"

"Yes, they are the bones of an Ahamkara."

Avez raised a brow at that. An Ahamkara? He heard stories from older veteran Guardians, but he had never seen one himself. Some of the things he heard about them did, however, disturbed him. He was glad they had been hunted to extinction.

Bitsine, having overheard the conversation, was a bit disturbed. She had heard things about those creatures and how some Guardians took parts of their bodies as trophies but turning them into armor seemed a little ghoulish to her.

Pekis huffed. He heard Crux and Soul talk over by their ship. Judging by the way they spoke, Soul found the new ship they had to be sufficient. The sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention where the two Warlocks of topic joined their teammates.

"You're finally here!" Bitsine stood up to greet them.

Kelly responded with a warm smile. "Sorry, we took so long. We were going over some information about the Vex.

"You are here now, that is what matters." Pekis walked over to them. "Are you ready?"

"Yup," Ellie said. "Got ammo, my weapons," She patted her body, "My new armor. I'm all set."

"So am I," Kelly confirmed.

"Finally!" Getting up, Bitsine put her weapons back in her inventory. "I want to get this party started."

"I suggest you don't get too excited, Bitsine," Avez told her. "We still have to complete the mission first before we can celebrate."

Crux and Soul joined back with the others. "So are we gonna get this show on the road?" Crux asked.

"It would appear so," Soul answered, seeing that the others were ready to leave.

They all came together in a circle, all their Ghosts out and about. "Sooo..." Crux started, "Anybody got anything to say before heading off?"

The Guardians all looked at each other, unsure if they had anything worth saying at the moment. After some contemplating Pekis spoke up, "Perhaps I do." Everyone's eye's focused on the Eliksni. Pekis let the memories of his life flow through him. From his early years to the here and now, Pekis closed his eyes, and when they opened, he said, "Since I was a child, I've been forced to face many hardships. I have witnessed my kind commit many crimes against each other for power, seen mothers and fathers take advantage of their children; brothers turn against brothers. Even as we fight the horrid creatures of the Hive, we are told from birth that it is Humans that are the true evil that is responsible for how far we've fallen."

Pekis took a death breath, "While others accepted how things are, believing the false truths that the elders preached I did not. I saw through their deception, seeing that their lust for power motivated their action, encouraging the hate and pirate ways that cursed the houses. I found allies that would stand with me, that would fight by my side against the Fallen Kells only to see them fall and my life ended."

Everyone watch Pekis thoughtfully as his face turned sour after the last sentence. "And when I returned I could remember nothing, only what the spirits of my past could tell me. When I remembered my past, a part of me wished to give up and join my comrades in the afterlife, but then I remembered I have new companions that filled the void in my being." Everyone smiled, even the Ghosts if they could. Kelly took a step closer as he drew closer to the end. "Now as I stand with you all as we embark on a mission to destroy the heart of a Vex stronghold, I would like to say I am proud to have met you all and even if the mission ends in failure, it would be an honor to fight beside you to the bitter end."

Pekis stood silent, taking another breath, pleased that he got that out. Though when everyone stared at him without saying anything, he feared that he might have overdone it. That is until Crux gave him a small applause. "Wow! that was really good!"

The others soon followed his example, praising him for his words. Pekis smiled, making sure he wouldn't let it go to his head. Deciding now would be as good of a time as any, Bitsine took out a bottle and some glasses. "Anyone up for one last drink before we dive headfirst into the abyss?" Everyone agreed, and she poured each them a shot. They tapped their glasses together an emptied them simultaneously.

With that over, they went to their ships. Pekis' lifted off the floor first. He took one last look at the human sitting behind him and went back to operating the controls. His ship was the first to exit the hanger with Ellie's second and rest following mear seconds after them. Exiting the perimeter of the Last City, they hit their engines full throttle until they broke through the atmosphere.

One by one, their engines halted leaving the group floating harmlessly in space while the Ghosts input the coordinates for Venus. Then they each disappeared, the ships vanishing into the void towards the planet that held the realm where past, present, and future had no meaning. Where the sands of time were at the mercy of the Vex and hardened into shards of glass.

 **Venus, Ishtar Sink**

The five ships that left Earth exited the bright tunnel that took them across the vacuum of space. Looking out the windows of their ships' hulls that they met the familiar surface of Venus as they wasted no time entering the atmosphere following the coordinates to the Waking Ruins. Pekis' ship was in the lead flying low over the rust-colored ocean reflecting the light of the sun. The coast drew closer, at the last second Pekis pulled up, Aepvis activating the Transmate system, depositing the two Guardians on the cliff Pekis stood on only days ago.

Pekis' feet hit the ground first with Kelly following half a second later. Aepvis piloted the ship back into orbit by remote control while the sounds of more ships incoming filled the air. The other four ships flew overhead one after the other, each one dropping off another Guardian. Ellie appeared behind them first with Avez second, Bitsine third and Crux last.

The Light wielders stood side by side one another, all of them looking past the rocks and ruins sticking out of the ground and at the circular Vex doorway built into the foundation of the planet. Sixty years ago, six Guardians past through that doorway to face the evil stirring beneath Venus and only one came out as the only survivor in a long cycle. Would this time be different with the warriors of the Light emerging victorious, or would history repeat itself as the Guardians find themselves lost to the far reaches of time?

After a minute of silence, Crux spoke up, "You know I past by this place dozens of times and I always wondered what was behind that door. Now I might die figuring it out."

Avez placed a hand on his shoulder, "Whatever's inside, I'm sure we can handle it."

"And if not, we can leave the Vex with one hell of a headache before we die," Bitsine said, joining Pekis at the front of the group. "So how do we get in."

Aepvis was the one to answer, "According to Pahanin's Errata there are three sync plates, like the one we use to call the Gate Lord, that we have to activate at the same time to form the spire that'll open the gate."

"What spire?" Bitsine didn't see anything of the sort.

"You'll see."

Ellie joined Pekis at the front. "I think we'll need to split up into teams of two for this."

"I agree," Pekis said, holding his hand out where his Ghost appears. "Where are the plates?"

"Sending waypoints now." Markers appeared in the HUDs insides the Guardians helmets. One directly in front of the gate, another left of the entrance and one more on the right.

"Kelly and I will take the center. Ellie, you and Bitsine take the left. Crux and Avez the right."

"Sound good to me. Let's go" Crux took off to his position with Avez close behind. The other four split with their appointed partners. After a short jog, they were all where they need to be. Pekis and Kelly looked up at the giant door separating them from the inside of the Vault, acknowledging that when they passed through it, they were fully committing themselves to the mission.

With the distance between the three teams at the sync plates, they would have to rely on their Ghosts for fluid communication. With everyone in position, the Ghosts created links to the sync plates, beginning the activation process. Just like what happened with the Gate Lord, rings of transparent squares rose from the ground up, each one making a bright flash upon completing. "Okay, it's starting. The spire is forming." Aepvis announced on the comms.

"What spire?" Bitsine asked.

"Check the courtyard." Crux watched from his vantage point as lines of bright lights formed a the top of a large pedestal like Vex construct in the middle of the ruins. The other Guardians joined in watching the lines slowly extend upward but didn't last long as flashes followed by black clouds started popping up around them. "Company!" Crux readied his Last Word, regrouping with Avez at the plate.

The other Guardians readied their weapons as well, taking defensive positions behind whatever cover was nearby. Dozens of Vex feet hit the ground, their red eyes taking a moment to examine the surroundings around them, then with one mind marched on the Guardians' positions. Bitsine and Avez cast Wards of Dawn over their rings to provide additional cover for their positions. With Pekis and Kelly not being Titans, they would have to make do with goblins opening fire on their location.

Pekis laid down fire with his auto rifle focusing on one side the Vex were coming from while Kelly dealt with the other. Kelly hovered in the air, throwing a solar grenade at a cluster of Vex, using her Conduit pulse rifle to pick off the survivors. Hobgoblins aimed from a distance while their charging counterparts were firing at the levitating Human. Kelly took a shot to the abdomen shield took the brunt of the hit; her body dropped to the ground, the Warlock returned fire taking off the heads of two hobgoblins. Their heads gone, the hobgoblins rushed the Warlock sparking from their necks, firing wildly without any accuracy. They were quickly dispatched only to be replaced by a dozen more Vex.

On the left side, Ellie took cover inside Bitsine's Ward, the bubble protecting her from the barrage of Vex fire coming from her end and peaking out of the sphere with her Assembly II taking out any robot that got to close. Bitsine, on the other hand, took a different approach, getting up close and personal with her 44 Curtain Call, blowing away any Vex that got to close. Dropping two more Vex, Bitsine's shotgun ran out. Before she could reload, a goblin came at her swinging its arm, but she avoided the blow. Closing the gap Bitsine struck it with her fist, making a hole in its chest, ripping out wires and circuits causing it to shut down.

Crux was jumping every which way avoiding Vex fire from all directions after Avez's Ward of Dawn had succumbed to Vex firepower. His Last Word fired shot after shot with each Vex he downed would be replaced seconds later. Avez mowed down Vex with his Jolder's Hammer, looking over at the spire seeing that it was halfway complete. "How much longer do we have to hold out!?"

"A couple more minutes!" Jade said. "Just keep the plates secured!"

"No problem." Crux threw an incendiary grenade; it bounced once right next to Avez's feet traveling a few yards farther, taking out a trio of Vex that were getting closer to the Titian.

"Crux!" Avez said, after feeling the edge of the blast.

"What!? Keep your head in the game!" Crux stopped moving to reload. Inserting a new clip, he took an explosive energy shot to the chest, blasting him away.

"Crux!" Turning around, Avez saw the culprit. Now joining its smaller counterparts, a Praetorian, heavy armored Vex Minotaurs designed to retake control of the sync plates, marched firing its torch hammer. "Damn it!" Avez unloaded his machine gun on the Praetorian, its shields proven to be much stronger than the standard Vex variant. It got closer to the plate, making Avez met it halfway with his body crackling with arc power. Kicking his feet off the ground, he tackled it with his shoulder. The Praetorian's shield took the brunt of it, ensuring it survived when it fell to the ground. It raised his weapon again, firing one last shot before Avez jumped up, bringing both fists down crushing it into oblivion. "Crux!"

Crux's body laid dead on the ground, Soul hovering over him to begin the revival process. Before Avez could get over to help another Touch Hammer round hit him. "Damn it!" The Titian witnessed another Praetorian come at him with a small legion of Vex backing it up. Their combined focused fire proved too much for him as they overwhelmed Avez shields.

The other Guardians manage to hold their own against the new advisories the Vex sent. Pekis pulled out his sword when his rifle proved to be ineffective. Getting close, the Praetorian swung its arm, Pekis dodge it, moving to the side he brought his sword down cutting the metal arm like butter. After losing an appendage, the Praetorian stepped back, not fast enough because Pekis quickly closed the gap, severing both it legs causing it to fall over on its back. With it still alive Pekis impaled it through it mind core, twisting the blade then pulling it out, the aura of void around it burning off the radiolaria, preventing it from corrupting the sword.

"The spire is disappearing!" Aepvis told Pekis.

"What!?" Taking advantage of the short moment of peace, Pekis looked towards the spire to see that construct that was about 2/3 done was now reducing in size. "What's happening!?"

"Crux and Avez's sync plate has been taken by the Vex! They're reversing the construction process!"

Kelly finished off another squad goblins, rejoining Pekis after hearing the situation. "What do you want to do?"

"I'll hold our position; you go help those two. Retake that plate."

Kelly equipped her SUROS Regime, "Got it!" She made a break towards Crux's and Avez's position leaving the Hunter to hold the plate on his own. More Vex approaching with another Praetorian in front. Pekis switched out his auto rifle for his Lord of Wolves, readying his sword for more.

Ellie and Bitsine were holding their own. Bitsine's Ward of Dawn gave out forcing Ellie to get mobile. She stood atop a small pillar, firing her Dragon's Breath at the crowds of Vex approaching leaving behind a column of fire hot enough to melt any Vex simple-minded enough to step into it. Bitsine tackled a Praetorian that got to close to their plate for comfort. After getting the rundown on them from the others, she made sure to make them a priority target. Her body crackled with power, bringing her hands down on its chest, breaking the armored body open, exposing the electronics inside. It attempted to grab her, but instead, she grabbed its arm, tearing it right off. Bitsine finished it off with one last attack then move on to the next. "How's everyone doing!?"

"Good so far!" Ellie fired another rocket into an incoming Praetorian, blasting it into pieces. The explosion shredded other nearby Vex into pieces, burning their bodies into nothing.

"I am holding!" Pekis threw a scatter grenade to keep some lesser Vex at bay while dealing with another Praetorian. He shot off its head with his Lord of Wolves causing it to malfunction and leave it vulnerable for when he sliced through it midsection. The spire continued to deconstruct. "Kelly, what is your status!?"

"Working on it!" Kelly launched a Nova Bomb that split into three separate explosives, clearing out Avez's and Crux's position of Vex for the time being. She used her light to resurrect the downed Guardians, and together they reactivated the sync plate restarting the construction process.

"It's working!" Walker told his Guardian. "The spire is forming!"

"Thanks for the Help." Crux said.

"No problem."

The Guardians continued their fight. When she was sure Crux and Avez could hold out on their own, Kelly regrouped with Pekis, just in time too because there were becoming more Vex than he could handle by himself. The spire formed bit by bit every second the battle raged. Vex fell in droves, throwing themselves at that the Guardians who didn't hesitate to unleash their Light.

"We're almost there!" Aepvis told Pekis who had put his weapons away and begun focusing his Light. Two arc swords formed in his hands, his body surging with power, he moved like a blur cutting down Vex left and right at a rapid pace. Try as they might, Pekis was too fast for any Vex to get a good shot. Pekis teleported from his position, reappearing above a Praetorian trying to rush the sync plate and sliced it in half down the middle.

"How much longer!?" Kelly asked, taking out a goblin with her Frenzy fusion rifle.

"It's done!" Walker told her. Just as he said, the spire that had been forming was now complete, standing tall above all the Guardians.

"That's great but what about these guys!?" Crux finished off a Praetorian with a golden gun turning his attention to the Hobgoblins taking potshots at him.

"I have an idea!" Soul announced on the comms. "I could use some help, though!"

"You got it!" Aepvis and the other ghosts got to work helping Soul hack into the Vex network.

The Guardians continued to hold the Vex from undoing their work, buying their Ghosts the time they need. The spire started surging with power, emitting a glow from the power build-up. "Here goes nothing!" Soul said, then the energy stored up was released in a pulse that spread throughout the Waking Ruins. On contact, every Vex caught in the pulse overloaded, sparking, going haywire they dropped to the ground their circuits burning out. The Praetorians had higher resistance, but they too suffered from internal damage caused by the pulse. Their sensors and movement crippled, they became easy pickings for the Guardians who finished them off.

Then it was over. The battlefield littered with bullets casings and Vex bodies. The Guardians wandered around, checking to make sure they were dead. "So, what just happened?" Bitsine asked, kicking the head of a Goblin.

"We hacked the Vex network to cause a power surge in the spire that we could use as a type of EMP to disable the Vex." Bitsine's Ghost said.

"How did you managed that?" Kelly questioned, examining a dead Vex. "Aren't the Vex immune to EMP attacks?"

"They're shielded against regular ones, yes, but we used the Vex's own energy to make a pulse strong enough to bypass their defenses," Walker informed. "We also managed to temporarily disable their transmat system so we shouldn't see any more Vex out here for a while."

Before any more could be said, the spire began to activate once more. A beam emitted from a lens at the top, hitting the center of the circular door leading into the Vex realm. The Guardians met back up in front of the Vault's entrance, hearing the gears inside the door turn until it opened up. The panels making up the door slide open in a circular motion, revealing the inside of the Vault. The Guardians all stared into the rocky cave leading into the Vault. To cross the gate was to leave their own reality and enter the one that the Vex had control over.

Crux looked to his comrades, asking, "Sooo... who goes first?"

No one said a thing, only Pekis taking a breath stepping forward. He walked past the gate entrance his feet touching the dirt inside the Vault. Turning around seeing his comrades still standing around, he said, "Well?"

Bitsine was the first to follow. "And into the beyond, we go." The rest of them followed suit, crossing the threshold into the Vault of glass.

'Spire activated. Perimeter defenses breached. Paracausal entities detected. Calculating appropriate response.'

The doorway behind them closed up, the metal plating spinning back into position and locking into place. "What just happened?" Crux asked.

"The Vex locked us in," Soul answered, grimly.

"Can't you open it back up?" Avez questioned.

There was a moment of silence as Jade tried to access the Vex network. "Can't. they blocked our access. No turning back now."

A foreboding feeling lingered among the group. They were trapped now. Stuck inside the Vault of Glass with no way to go but deeper inside towards whatever the Vex had in store for them.

"Come. We must keep moving." Pekis went ahead, gesturing for the rest of them to follow him. They did so, allowing Pekis to take the lead through the rock caves.

None said a word. Their pace was slow and cautious. The air thick with suspense as the Guardians expected an ambush only for none to come. "Sooo..." Crux started, hoping to lighten the mood, "Anyone know any good stories?"

"Stories?" Kelly said, looking behind her at the Hunter.

"Yeah. We might die here, so maybe we could hear one last tale. Bitsine, Avez, Ellie, any of you guys have one?" The Guardians Crux called either shrugged or replied with a simple no. "What about you, Pekis?"

Pekis continued leading the way, contemplating his request. "What kind of story?"

"I don't know. Something to get rid of the dread. I don't think anyone in the City has heard a Fallen story before so you must have something."

Pekis made a rumbling sound thinking about it. "When I was a boy, my uncle would tell me tales of our people's journey to this system."

"that'll do."

"Centuries ago, long before I was born, As my people traveled from world to world, plundering ruins left behind by the Dark, searching for the hope lost to us, we were plagued by demons."

"Demons?" Kelly inquired, interested.

"Yes. Whenever we settled on a planet to find resources, some of us would begin hearing voices. Whispers calling out to us, luring the most weak-willed using the voices of loved ones. Many who sought them out never returned with those who did come back changed, having gone mad from getting to close and were executed. These creatures followed us for generations, continuing to corrupt the weakest of us with their lies and promises of wishes even after we found this system. One day one of them attempted to corrupt my uncle, and for that, he personally tracked it to its lair, slew it, bringing its head back to the House as a trophy. The House hailed him as a champion and an example for all those that were targeted by its kind." Pekis ended the tale with his head held high, proud of what his uncle accomplished.

It seemed to have a similar effect on the others. Their confidence bolstered, they marched onward, ready to blow whatever the Vex had in store for them to hell. The one exception being Avez who became lost in thought. Ellie took notice, "Something wrong?"

"Its nothing. It just that the creatures Pekis described, they sound like Ahamkara."

"Ahamkara?" Pekis lifted his lower left arm, examining the bone on his gauntlet. "Did he really..." The path they walked on ended, leading them to a deep dark chasm. The Guardians joined Pekis at the front examining the canyon before them, its length stretching beyond what their eyes could see in the darkness of the vault. A breeze flowed through carrying dust and dirt through the air, making the cloaks of the Hunters wave gently.

Crux stood at the ledge looking down at the seemingly bottomless pit below them. Mimicking a whistling sound, he said, "I hope we don't have to go down there."

"I don't believe we do." Pekis jumped off the ledge, landing on a floating platform yards away. Stomping his foot several times, he gestured for the rest to follow, pointing out more platforms hovering over the chasm making up a pathway leading farther into the Vault.

"That's... convenient," Kelly said, hesitating to follow.

"I guess this is the way the Vex roll out the red carpet," Avez said, being the first to follow Pekis.

"This has got to be a trap," Soul told Crux who then followed Avez.

Landing on the platform, Crux cheerfully said, "Of course it is. That why we're going to spring it! Unless you have a better idea?" Soul stayed quiet, indicating she didn't. "Alright, then."

Pekis continued gong ahead leading his comrades through the platforms that Aepvis noticed followed a pattern that matched the one Pahanin described in his Errata which made him uneasy. The platforms led them to a series of ledges sticking out of the rock walls, leading them further down the gorge until they reached an extended platform acting as a bridge leaving only a small jump separating them from the location Pahanin wrote as the Templar's Well. The Templar's Well, the same place where Kabr's team was decimated, within their sights. Pekis recognized it from Pahanin's drawings, as well as the door in the back leading deeper into the Vault. "That is where we must go."

Kelly stepped forward, inspecting the area of the Templar's Well. It was separated into three flanks; left, right, and center. Large columns connected the floor to the rock ceiling with smaller one dotting the area allowing for plenty of cover with small floating platforms hovering in place over the chasm. There didn't seem to be any sentries or guards, but that could change quickly.

Pekis didn't wait. Getting a running start, he leaped falling quickly he used his Light to slow his descent getting closer to his target. Pekis' feet hit the ground, and now he stood staring down the center of the Templar well, the doorway they needed to use on the opposite end from where he was. The other Guardians followed suit, landing around him, weapons ready for anything.

'Paracausal entities detected. Calculating appropriate response. Standby... response determined. Initiating purge sequence.'

"So, what now?" Bitsine asked, not seeing any enemies.

That soon changed when they heard the electronic wail of one of the most dangerous Axis Minds in existence. Appearing from a flash of light, hovering In front of the only way forward, a Hydra of vast ontological power. The Axis Mind responsible for guarding the inner sanctums of the Vault of Glass, the one that had scattered Kabr's fireteam to the far reaches of time, made itself known.

"The Templar." Pekis glared at the Vex he recognized from a drawing in Pahanin's Errata. The Vex Axis Mind that the power of the Vault flows through. An entity that exists outside of time and can thus manipulate reality in accordance with the designs of the Oracles.

The Templar light blue eye did the same to them while going over records regarding the Vex's previous encounters with the Guardians. Three metal spheres spun in place, hovering close to the Templar, glowing in a similar color of its eye. The fireteams raised their weapons when a flash of light emanated from behind them. After turning around the bright light dimmed, revealing a Vex construct that Ellie immediately recognized. "A conflux!?"

Just as she said, a Vex conflux fully materialized, same as the ones on the surface that the Vex attempt to sacrifice themselves to. Two more flashes appeared on the left and right flank, revealing two more confluxes. The Templar had yet to engage in offensive protocols so Ellie's Ghost, Dex, Took the opportunity to scan the conflux near them. After several moments he concluded, "Oh, uh yeah, whatever happens, don't let too many Vex sacrifice themselves to these things."

The Templar let out another wail, priming its heavy guns for combat. "What happens if they do?" Bitsine asked, searching for cover.

"To put it simply, We'll all be wiped from existence." Dex finished then disappeared, returning to Ellie.

The Templar's weapons started to glow with energy. "Scatter!" Pekis ordered. The Guardians did as he said, moving from their position just as explosive energy rounds struck where they were moments ago. As the Guardians went to different locations, The Templar summoned its legions to root out the intruders while it stayed in place to monitor the center flank, sending its hordes to sacrifice themselves. Dozens of Vex headed the Templar's call. Goblins, Hobgoblins, Minotaurs, and Harpies all came out weapons primed.

The Guardians responded with gunfire. Pekis, Ellie, and Kelly managed the left flank taking cover around the conflux on their side. Crux, Bitsine, and Avez did the same on the right, taking out every Vex that encroached on them. The center flank remained unoccupied by any Guardians due to the presence of the Templar rendering it open for Vex to march up the center stairs, splitting up flanking the two teams of Guardians with a third detachment heading to the conflux in the far back.

Bitsine was the first to notice when she received an energy shot to her side. "Crap! They're flanking us!" Bitsine turned her gun to her left, taking out the Goblin that shot her first then the rest.

"I'm a bit busy!" Crux was at the front making use of his Last Word, finishing off a Minotaur with the last few bullets the hand cannon had and when it was empty, he switched to the gun in his other hand. At first, he didn't like the Havoc Pigeon he received from Shaxx, but he was turning around. While it didn't have the same punch as his other weapons, he found a creative way to make up for it. Since he didn't have a free hand to reload the Last Word, he had Soul handle it using transmat tech to remove the empty clip and insert a fresh one. While she did that, Crux used his sidearm to keep the Vex at bay, damaging or killing any that he could and when the clip ran out, he switched over to his reloaded Last word while Soul repeated the process with the sidearm. "I'm am liking this thing!" Crux twirled Havoc Pigeon on one finger.

"Good then keep it up." Avez joined Bitsine in taking care of the flanking Vex using his Invective shotgun to take out the closest ones. As he pumped his gun, he got shot in his back. "What the!?" turning around the noticed a Hobgoblin standing on one of the floating platforms firing a line rifle him. "Damn it! they got snipers!"

On the Left flank, Pekis and the two Warlocks were in a similar predicament. Hobgoblins took potshots at the trio of evading Guardians that were contending with squads of Vex trying to pass them to get to the conflux they guarded. Kelly and Ellie threw scatter grenade to take out a Minotaur, a cluster of Goblins and two harpies. Out of ammo, Pekis kick a nearby goblin into a wall. It charged its hand with void power, but before it could use it, Pekis pulled out his sword, severing its arm with an upward slash then decapitated it. The Vex went haywire but stopped after Pekis sliced its body in half.

He reloaded his For The People, holding onto his sword just in case when he noticed some Vex heading towards where the rear conflux was. "Shit!" In all the commotion Pekis had forgotten about the rear conflux that they had left unguarded. "Hold the line!" He told the two Warlocks before heading to the rear.

"Got it!" Kelly said, using her Conduit pulse rifle to fire on the sniping Hobgoblins while Ellie dealt with the others.

The Templar spotted Pekis and opened fire but missed every shot. He made to the rear just in time to see two goblins in kneeling positions, their bodies glowing as they began sacrificing themselves. "Damn it!" Pekis fired his rifle, destroying the first one before it could finish, but wasn't fast enough for the other. Its body vanished, turning into energy that fed the conflux connected to the Templar.

'Energy supplement detected. Insufficient for total erasure protocol.' As the Templar ran calculations through its mind, the Guardians continued to hold their own against the seemingly endless onslaught of Vex and began unleashing their light.

Bitsine charged in, bringing her fists down creating an electric blast that destroyed a squad of Vex. Ellie leaped in the air, Her Nothing Manacles gauntlets glowing bright with void as she fired a Nova Bomb at the Vex lines. Even Pekis, now being the one to guard the center flank took it up a notch when face with two Minotaurs coming for the conflux forming his arc blades and went after them with speed only the Legionless Mind could match. In seconds the two Minotaurs were cut to pieces then the Hunter turned his forward to the next dozen of the Vex walk up the stairs. Now its sights, the Templar focused fire on Pekis, having recognized him from Vex archives and viewed him as a priority target. Try at is might, Pekis proved to fast for its weapons as he cut down more Vex.

Realizing the Templar was the most significant threat, Pekis threw one of his arc swords at it. On contact with the Templar's shield, the sword vaporized into nothing doing nothing to damage the Axis Mind in any capacity. Pekis cursed. Pahanin wrote that nothing his team tried could breach the Templar shields, but Pekis hoped that his own power might be able to pierce it.

"Let me try!" Crux created an opening to flank the Templar, His body burning with solar Light; Crux shot his Golden Gun. Just like with Pekis' attack, the bullets did nothing. "Crap." Crux was shot several times in the back, breaking his shields. "Crap!"

'Standard units ineffective. Unable to retrieve sufficient energy levels.' With the Guardians being able to hold the confluxes, the Templar began redirecting the energy in manage to obtain to an alternative method. 'Initiating Negation Protocol.'

As Bitsine was mowing down Vex, she noticed something new enter the playing field. "Uh, what are those?" Amidst the sounds of battle, Bitsine eyes were focused on some form of deform Vex Goblin. First appearing in the Center flank twitching, headless Goblins began appearing behind their completed counterparts. As opposed to standard white, the mind cores at their centers glowed a sickly green color, and upon detecting Bitsine, they started firing slap rifles wildly with no real accuracy as they charged her with fanatic devotion.

Kelly was next to lay eyes on the Fanatics. Their half damage appearance and green mind cores were just as Pahanin described. These Vex, The Fanatics whose sole purpose was to sacrifice themselves to mark intruders for the Templar's Ritual of Negation, appeared in higher numbers. Kelly killed one then after which it exploded splattering everything in its immediate vicinity with green radiolaria. Thankfully Kelly was well outside the blast radius, taking a few steps back as she saw a mist rising from the green fluid on the floor. "Whatever you do, don't touch the green stuff!" The warlock warned as more Fanatics came at her.

"Noted!" Crux kicked a Goblin away, finishing it with three pistol shots to the chest then pointed his Last Word Searching for a new target. That's when he saw the Fanatics first hand on his side. Two of them detected and came at him. He took the first one out before it got close but didn't have enough time when the second was a foot away and started crackling uncontrollably. Guessing what it was about to do, Crux jump away just before the Fanatic self-destructed. The hunter managed to get away in time. "That was close!"

Pekis maintained a safe distance using his Stranger's Rifle to pick off the Fanatics. A small pool of green radiolaria formed at the center of the Templar's Well making it next to impossible to cross by foot. Kelly activated her Sunsinger and started throwing solar grenades like crazy. The miniature suns created a dead zone that the Vex couldn't survive in, but not even that wasn't hot enough to destroy the Fanatic radiolaria that still lingered on the ground.

Ellie moved forward, pushing the Vex back, littering the floor with shell casings. She was so in the zone that she failed to watch her flank. A Fanatic got close to her and before Ellie could react it self destructed. Ellie was blown on her back by the explosion, recovering from her daze, she realized the green goo had covered her. She could feel it cling to her with a mind not to let go. "Shit! they got me!" Ellie struggled to get the stuff off her to no avail. She was marked!

"Damn it!" Kelly gave her covering fire telling the rest of them, "They got Ellie!" Her announcement was met with swearing and other dissatisfied outbursts. They all knew about the effect Vex radiolaria could have, including that of Fanatic radiolaria. But the negativity was only found on one side of the fight.

'Paracausal entity marked for negation protocol. Beginning power build-up for intruder erasure. Standby...' Templar began amassing power to complete the Negation Ritual. All those marked by the Fanatics would be wiped from existence. But then something unforeseen happened. 'Warning: Network intrusion detected. Unknown power surge, source unknown. Attempting to isolate.' The build-up of energy within the Templar slowed down as it diverted power to deal with the surge. 'Error: Unable to isolate.'

Ellie managed to get back to her teammates. Kelly and Avez gave her cover, pushing back the Vex lines while she continued trying to rid herself of the mark. Pekis did his best to hold down the center flank avoid fire from the Templar while Bitsine and Crux held the right.

Bitsine threw a pulse grenade to take out a group of goblins when her radar warned her of something behind her. She turned around and without thinking fired her shotgun. The Fanatic she killed exploded, releasing the green goop that marked her for negation. Bitsine slipped on the amount that spilled on the floor wiping the front of her helmet she saw covered in radiolaria. "Fuck!"

Crux took some time from killing Vex to check on Bitsine. Checking to make sure the conflux was safe for the time being he went over to Bitsine's location, finding her on the floor covered in Radiolaria. "Shit, they got Bitsine!"

Kelly and Pekis took that news to heart. Their long-time friend and comrade was at the risk of being erased from time. When the Vex tried taking advantage of the confusion, firing on Bitsine's fallen form, Pekis left his position to help. Bitsine's shields went down, and she took two-shot to the back getting up. Her armor protected her, but she still felt the heat burning into the metal. Pekis arrived keeping her covered while she fell back to the rear. Just like Ellie, she was having no luck getting the stuff off her and fear that this might be it. Even their Ghosts were at a lost. From what they could tell the radiolaria wasn't just stuck to them on a surface level but it was working its way inside their armor, the energy it gave off going further marking their own bodies as well, making it impossible to remove. They would erase from time, the newest victims of the Templar's power over time.

But what the Guardians didn't know was that a crack in the Vault's defenses was aware of their plight. Feeling their beings being tainted, it sent out a portion of its power to give them hope. 'Error: Unable to isolate energy surge. Redirecting power to negation protocol.' The Templar refocused its effort into the ritual of negation, now with two marked targets.

The Guardians started to feel the pressure. Only four were left fighting the Vex off while the other two continue trying to cleanse themselves, even attempting to use their Light but were unable to remove the mark.

As the Templar neared maximum power and all hope seemed lost, something happened. In the center of the Templar's Well, there was a bright light. The Templar was the first to see it. A well of Light matching the energy signature of the surge that breached the network now found its way to the physical realm of the Vault. All the Guardians and Ghosts took a moment of pause under fire. What they were feeling through their Light was different than anything they had before. Ellie and Bitsine especially were feeling something. The well of Light calling to them, tugging at their Light, drawing them to it. Like its alive.

"Ellie, I think we should go to it." Bitsine's Ghost told his Guardian. He was aware of the risks, not only of the ever-present Vex firing on them but of trusting a well of Light that's signature was similar to a certain Vex's. But this Light didn't feel corrupted. It was as pure as any Guardian's would be and Immensely powerful, but where was it coming from? Could there be another Guardian somewhere in the Vault?

Ellie and Dex had a similar conversation. "Screw it!" With no other options, Ellie took her gun and made a break for the Well. Bitsine did the same, and both marked Guardians ran for the center gunning down any Vex that got in their way. Their teammates gave them covering fire, unsure of what they were planning but something about well of Light made them have faith.

The Templar reached maximum power, its body glowing, about to complete the ritual. It spotted the two marked Guardians running down the center heading for the well, firing its cannons to stop them. They dodged everything it threw at them with their teammates trying to draw its fire, but the Templar wasn't interested in them. Mere moments from erasure, Ellie jumped into the well feeling the comforting presence of the Light envelope her. Bitsine entered seconds later just as the Templar released its energy, sending a pulse that would erase all those marked for negation from the timeline.

Everyone shut their eyes as a bright light washed over them. It was over in moments. The Templar released the energy it had built up completing the ritual, but something was wrong.

"What just happened!?" Bitsine and Ellie stepped out of the well of Light, still alive and well. Everyone was shocked, including the Templar who was having a difficult time comprehending what just happened. Somehow that Well was strong enough to cleanse them of the mark.

'Error: targets for Negation protocol remain within timestream. No miscalculations detected in programming.' The Templar scanned the two Guardians finding that they both were cleansed of the mark. In all the time the Templar had existed, no intruder had been able to rid themselves of the mark. There could only be one explanation. Running a scan on the Well of Light it came up with one comparison. 'Energy signature matches rogue anomaly. Location: unknown.'

As the Templar contemplated its next course action, the two cleansed Guardians rejoined their allies who were still baffled by what happened. "Ellie, what happened?" Avez asked.

"I'm not sure. I was drawn to the Light, and then I felt it wash over me."

"That Light destroyed the radiolaria that stuck to you," Dex explained having monitored the whole thing. "You're clean now." But what he didn't get was how that Light could do what

Kelly sighed in relief. So did Pekis glad that Bitsine was okay now. But the battle was not over yet as the Templar summoned it most devastating weapons. The sound of a deep echoing ring made everyone's ears perk up. It was loud enough to be heard amidst the heat of battle, different than the sounds of gunfire and explosives, and gentle enough to almost be considered musical. The sound was repeated in a higher tone than the last and only lasted a moment just as before.

Hearing this Pekis took an elevated position, taking out two Hobgoblins trying to snipe him then looked around for the source. In a few seconds, he spotted something in the far back of the Templar's Well. A yellow flash of light appearing, emitting the sound he had heard before. It was bright, shining much like a star in the night sky.

But Pekis knew that this star was not there solely to sing to them. The music they made was a prelude to something far more sinister. And if not dealt with would be the last thing any of them would hear again.


	41. Chapter 41

**Venus, Vault of Glass**

The once quiet Vex Realm was no longer sound. In the outer reaches of the Vault of Glass, a battle ensued. Where the sounds of gunfire, explosives, and cries of battle were all that could be heard, there was now music.

In the Templar's Well, Its namesake was preforming its duties to protect the inner sanctums of the Vault from invaders. When the Guardians of Burning Light and Hammer Scorch breach the Vault outer defenses, they awoke the Templar, the center of the Vault of Glass' security, an entity that had the power of the Vault at its disposal. As it had with many others before, it took up arms to rid its home of these invaders. It sought not only to kill them but to make it so they never existed, as it had with the members of Kabr's fireteam.

To do that, when the Guardians first arrive to challenge it, it called upon its confluxes to purge the Vault of their presence, sending its endless troops to be sacrificed to them. When the Guardians proved too resilient to be overcome by sheer numbers, it then summons its most devoted legions. The Fanatics, deformed Goblin units designed to mark intruders for the Templar's Ritual of Negation. Despite their loses, they had managed to mark two of the Guardians for erasure, but the power of a relic created long ago entered the fray, cleansing the infected of the mark, sparing them from being lost to time.

The confluxes were not enough, the Negation Protocol had failed, and the Guardians continued to hold their own. But until they found a way to deal with the Templar itself, it would not end. Its patience growing thin, the Templar chose to make use of its most powerful weapons. Bright yellow flashes, each singing their own note, began appearing sporadically around the Templar's well, warming up before being put to full use.

The Oracles. Highly developed Vex constructs with an important role related to the Templar. Using the most advanced computing abilities and simulation tech the Vex have, the Oracles foresee a future that the Vex want most, one were all threats to them are erased, and the Templar makes that future a reality. This is the power that scattered Kabr's fireteam. The power that made Pahanin abandon his comrades, the power the Vex would use to establish dominance should they ever find a way to bring these weapons into reality. Because to be erased by the Templar, and its Oracles is not merely to die, it is never to have existed.

Pekis was the first to spot them. He watched each of them appear and vanish in moments before another would do the same thing. The Hunter growled with each ringing sound that filled the air. As his teammates dealt with the legions of Vex coming out of the woodworks, Pekis glared at the Hydra commanding them.

'Oracle units activated. Testing procedure complete. Purge sequence initiated.'

Pekis rejoined his comrade, "It's summoning the Oracles!"

"That's bad, right?" Crux asking reloading his Gheleon's Demise.

"Only if you count being wiped from existence bad, then yes!" Kelly answered, throwing a scatter grenade.

"So, how do you want to play this?" Ellie asked Pekis.

Before Pekis could answer, another ring was heard by all of them. Unlike the previous ones, this Oracle didn't immediately disappear after a few seconds. It stayed where it was, shining brightly like a small sun. Pekis spotted it on the other side of the Templar's Well and knew what it meant, shouting to all, "Split up, defend the confluxes and destroy any Oracles you see! Don't stop for anything!"

With no need for further instructions, the Guardians all did as he said, moving from cover and rushed the Vex. Pressing forward, they gun down every Vex in their way, taking damage as they moved, avoiding Fanatics where they could. Pekis was focused on the Oracle he spotted, moving towards it with Kelly behind him as the others took defensive positions around the confluxes looking around for any other Oracles.

A Minotaur stood in his way, standing between him and the Oracle. Pekis unsheathed his sword while the Minotaur wound up its arm to swing at the Hunter. Pekis dodge it by sliding along the floor, swinging his sword, cutting through both the Vex's legs, causing it to topple over. As Pekis readied to finish it off, Kelly jumping over the fallen Minotaur firing a burst from her Frenzy fusion rifle at the Oracle. It withstood the first three balls off energy that hit it, but the fourth and fifth ruptured the yellow cube causing it to explode in a brilliant display of light. "I got it!" The yellow aura soon dissipated altogether, leaving only bits and pieces of the cube scattered on the ground.

The Guardians shared a sigh of relief, having stopped the Oracle from completing its calculations that would have been fed to the Templar. The Templar, on the other hand, was angered. After having of its methods bested, it wasn't going to stand for its most powerful weapons to fail as well. 'Oracle Unit terminated. Increasing unit deployment.'

Legions of Vex fell attempting to kill the Guardians with weapons fire, sacrificing to the confluxes, or marking them for negation. A few times, one of the Guardians would fall after being surrounded and shot from all sides then to be revived by one of their comrades. Crux did get sloppy and ran into a Fanatic while dodging gunfire, getting covered in its radiolaria in the process. Just like with Ellie and Bitsine, the Well of Light that appeared a little while ago tugged at his Light, pulling him towards it to cleanse him. He did so jumping into the Light ridding himself of the mark before the Templar could complete its ritual.

Pekis threw a scatter grenade at a squad of Vex with the sounds of Oracles appearing started again. This time the Templar deployed three in different locations. "Destroy those Oracles now!" Pekis ordered.

"No problem." Crux said, "But where are they- OH SHIT!" The Hunter fell over in a panic when, out of nowhere, a bright yellow cube appeared right next to him, scaring the crap out of him. "Never Mind!" Two bursts from his Matador 64, and it was gone. "Got it!"

Avez spotted the second guarded by a trio of Goblins. Rushing at the Vex, the first one threw a void grenade at him, missing then was immidently dispatched by his Jolder's Hammer. The second fired its slap rifle only to have it arm grabbed, then pulled off its body. Avez finished it with an electrified punch and turned his attention to the last one standing between him ant the Oracle that was glowing brighter. No time to waste, Avez's body glowed with void power, a purplish energy shield forming on his arm that he threw. Hitting the Goblin, the shield vaporized it into nothing before striking the Oracle behind it, destroying it in one hit. "I got this one!"

Ellie spotted the third through her scope. She dispatched a Goblin in her way with a single shot, firing two more at the defenseless Oracle, destroying it. "Got it!" However, she failed to react fast enough when two Hobgoblin took aim at her. Three shots broke her shields, and a single shot to the head ended her quickly.

Seeing that she was down, Bitsine took out the Hobgoblins and went to revive her. Ellie was back up, a little rattled but alive again. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

The Templar was not okay, However. Increasingly annoyed by their continued survival, it repeated summoning it Oracles at a faster rate. Likewise, the Guardians doubled their efforts at destroying its weapons wherever they popped up. The sounds of musical rings and gunfire echoed throughout the chasm. The two completely different types of noises did nothing to complement one another.

Pekis destroyed another oracle, turning around to see two Goblins attempting to sacrifice themselves to a conflux only to be shot to death by Kelly. He nodded to her, approving of her actions, but she didn't see it, having to avoid three Fanatics coming at her. The Guardians continued to fight strong, but they all knew they couldn't keep it up indefinitely. They stocked up greatly on ammo, but it wasn't infinite, and the fighting wouldn't stop until the Templar was dead.

Despite their best efforts, nothing they had could break its shields. Kelly and Ellie, at one point, combined their Nova Bombs, launching their attack right at the Templar. The resulting explosion rocked the very foundations of the Templar's Well but did nothing to damage the Hydra's defenses. Bitsine charged down the center after taking out another Oracle, her body charged with arc Light, and leaped at the Templar her fist ready for use. When her fist made contact with the Templar's shield, it nullified her attack, letting out an energy burst that sent Bitsine flying in the other direction, bouncing on the ground twice before her back hit a wall. The impact almost knocked her out of the fight, but she was too determined to go down that easy.

If the Templar was capable of it, it would have laughed at their attempts to harm it. Its shields were specifically designed to block any attack thrown at it. Even those of a Lightweilder's power was not enough to break its defense. It is how the Templar had defeated every intruder that had faced it. It knew it that the Guardians would eventually wear themselves out and fall victim to its power, Just like every other before them had.

As the Templar prepared another wave of Oracles, something began to happen to it. 'Error: Network intrusion detected. attempting to isolate.' The Hydra held off on its offensive, leaving its minions to deal with the Guardians, to stop the hacking of its systems. Try as it might, it was unable to prevent the outside interference from gaining access. 'Error: Unable to isolate. System controls overridden. Attempting to restore control.'

Pekis threw an incendiary grenade at a crowd of Globlin coming from the center, the explosion blasting the Vex into pieces. He reloaded his rifle, taking notice of two minotaurs coming at him from either side of him. Pulling out his sword, Pekis was ready for them when they started slowing down. The Hunter stayed in a fight stance even when they came to a complete stop, the red lights of their eyes fading as they were forcibly shut down. Seeing that it wasn't just the Minotaurs, Pekis relaxed, examining what had been an intense battle had now become quiet with the other Guardians ceasing their hostilities.

Bitsine kicked a harpy that hit the ground after being shut down. "What just happened?"

Ellie examined a pair of Goblins that stood like statues. "I think they've been turned off." A sound from the conflux near her caught her attention. The Vex construct soon vanished entirely in a flash with the other two doing the same thing, leaving no trace they were there.

The Fanatics that were deployed all self-destructed simultaneously. Avez and Crux were close by when they did so but were far enough not to get any radiolaria on them. Not that it would have mattered since the Templar was too distracted to make use of its Negation Protocol.

Kelly walked around the inactive Vex, spotting Pekis standing in the middle of the center flank staring at the only remaining active Vex. She met up with him, not saying a word as she watched the Templar.

The Hydra stayed where it had been the whole time, its shields still up, not doing anything about the intruders standing out in the open watching it. Its primary concern was its transmat systems being overridden by an outside entity. 'Transport systems activated. Attempting to override... Error: Unable to override. Systems engaged. Rogue anomaly detected...'

The other four Guardians join Pekis and Kelly in the middle. They all watched the Templar jerk around like some internal battle was being fought within it, then it vanished in a flash of light as it did appear in, leaving the doorway it was guarding unprotected.

"What just happened?" Bitsine asked, stepping forward, "Did we win?"

Pekis grumbled, "I do not believe we have." His attention turned to the Well of Light still presence even as the Templar was gone. Then the Well became brighter, and everyone was focused on it.

It began expanding, the Ghosts picking up increased energy reading from their scans. Everyone felt the notion of backing away, feeling as though it was about to explode. Then Aepvis detected an object materialize inside, "There's something in there."

It was still far to bright to anyone to see. "What?" Pekis asked, shielding his eyes.

"I... don't know."

The Well grew larger, the light becoming near blinding and the center of the Templar's Well becoming engulfed by it, then it started to recede. The Light became smaller, giving the Guardians a moment of comfort that they weren't about to be destroyed. Pekis lowered his hand, the brightness now tolerable for his eyes, he and the others watched it shrink back to its center. As it did, the outline of something inside became visible. They were unsure of what it was, but the Ghosts could tell that it was the source of the Light that they used to cleanse themselves. And to say that the Light it has is strong would be putting it lightly.

The Light was finally absorbed back into its source, giving the Guardians a clear view of the strange relic floating a few feet off the ground. "What is that?" Bitsine asked.

No one had an answer for her as they were just as in the dark. They stared at the diamond-shaped object that floated in place, unmoving like it was waiting for something. Not feeling any threat from it, Pekis stepped forward, walking down the steps leading to the center. The others followed behind, moving cautiously in case this was some form of Vex trap. Pekis stopped a few yards away from the relic. The bronze medal illuminated by the energy emitting from the edges with the circle in the center glowing the same color. "What is this?"

"I'm not sure." Aepvis answered, "There nothing in Pahanin's Errata that mentions anything like this." Pekis let Aepvis out to scan it. He fired a beam into the center, and the relic made a brief flash in response, making everyone flinch. Tensions high, some raised their weapons, ready to turn the thing into swiss cheese if needed, but Aepvis stopped them. "Wait, wait! It's not an attack! I think it's saying, "Hello.""

""Hello?"" Bitsine lowered her gun, "You're saying that thing can talk?"

"Not exactly, but I'm pretty sure it's trying to communicate. Give me a minute." Everyone calmed down, allowing Aepvis to continue undisturbed. "Hello there, I'm Aepvis," he told the artifact, ignoring the looks he was getting from the Guardians who, to them, the Ghost looked like he was talking to an inanimate object.

About a minute passed, Everyone kept their weapons on hand in case of a hostile situation. Pekis tapped his fingers on his pistols, waiting for an update. "Aepvis, have you learned anything from this?"

"Well, for starters, this thing is a shield made completely out of Vex metal." This announcement caught everyone by surprise.

"Its a Vex construct?" Ellie questioned.

"No, but it was made from a Vex's body, but I'm not sure what kind. It even has a connection to the Vex network. Its Light came from a Guardian, and it's something else." Aepvis went silence for a few seconds before saying, "It been in the Vault for a long time."

"Well, what is it doing here now?" Asked Azev, looking around in case some of the deactivated Vex weren't as turned off as they looked.

"...It wants to help."

Pekis circled around to inspect the back as Aepvis continued his scan. On the other side, he spotted the hourglass-shaped handle inside the shield on the back. There was no physical connection between the handle and the rest of the shield, it was held in place by the Light. And above that, Pekis spotted something but couldn't make out what it was. He stepped closer, getting a better look he realized it was a column of text that looked to be engraved in the metal. "There's a text on the back."

"What does it say?" Kelly inquired.

The others were curious as well, not making a sound as Pekis leaned forward to read what he didn't know to be the last words of the shield's creator. _"I have destroyed myself to do this. They have taken my Ghost. They are in my blood and brain. But now, there is hope."_

Aepvis stopped his scanning, Returning to Pekis while he continued reading. _"I have made a wound in the Vault. I have pierced it and let in the Light. Bathe in it, and be cleansed. Look to it, and understand: "From my own Light and from the thinking flesh of the Vex I made a shield. The shield is your deliverance. It will break the unbreakable. It will change your fate. "Bind yourself to the shield. Bind yourself to me. And if you abandon your purpose, let the Vault consume you, as it consumed me."_

 _"Now, it is done. If I speak again, I am not Kabr."_ Pekis stepped back, connecting the dots, a realization dawned on him from the last sentence. "Kabr! Kabr made this shield!"

Pekis' announcement was met with shock and confusion. "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!" Crux started getting closer, pointing to the shield, "Kabr? Kabr, the Legionless? Kabr, the Titan that got turned into that metal asshole that tore off my arm and almost killed me? That Kabr made this thing."

"The Aegis," Aepvis stated, confusing everyone.

"What?"

"The Aegis. That's what it's called. That's what it calls itself anyway." Crux took a step back, having trouble processing what he was hearing.

"The Aegis." Pekis reached out his arm to touch the Aegis but hesitated. After that, something unexpected happened.

The whole time Aepvis was scanning and communicating with the Aegis, it had been studying them. Years ago, before Kabr's conversion was complete, he sacrificed much of his Light to forge the Aegis, a weapon of the Light imbued with immense power. A shield created to defeat the Vault of Glass before the Vex could complete their plans and unleashed devastating otological armaments on the system that would certainly ensure a Vex victory. But despite its power, it could not do it by itself. The shield was a tool, a weapon that required a wielder, a warrior, a Guardian of the Light to bind itself to and combine their powers. Because of that, it hid within the Vault, hiding for years from the Vex that saw it as a threat, awaiting the day when another brave enough to face the dangers of the Vault of Glass would come. And together, they would see the Vex stopped, and its creator finally laid to rest.

Now that day had come. Six Guardians stood before it, and only one truly stood out from the rest. Not only because of his species but because of his power. It was different from the others. There was a strain of Light he had before his death, older than the rest of his power, something the Aegis believed he inherited from another. When he reached for the shield, he had gotten close enough for it to make a connection with his Light. When it felt him hesitate and pull back, it chose to finish the link itself.

Pekis brought his arm up to his chest, rubbing his wrist uncertain of what to do when the Aegis moved. And it wasn't slow, majestic movement. It had gone from point A: where it was floating, to point B: Pekis' arm, in half a second. The Fallen stumbled back from the force of the Aegis attaching itself to his forearm, almost falling over. Everyone else practically jumped from the sudden turn of events. Kelly and Bitsine ran up to him but gave him space as he twisted and turned, using his other three arms to try and pry it off him with no effect. The Aegis was stuck to him like a hungry super magnet that had found delicious metal. It was not letting go for anything.

"WHAT IS THIS!?" The Hunter shouted, demanding an explanation from anyone who had one.

"PEKIS, STOP!" Aepvis pretty much commanded his Guardian.

Hearing Aepvis' instruction, Pekis did as he said, standing still while holding his upper left arm away from his body. To his surprise, the Aegis wasn't heavy at all. In fact, it felt light as a feather. "Why? What is it?"

"It's not attacking you." Aepvis detect a connection form between them and the Aegis.

As he calmed down, Pekis focused on the relic attached to his left arm. The handled was stuck to his forearm, but more than that, he began to feel the connection himself. The Aegis' power coursed through his body, and as it did, the energy it emitted from its sides glowed brighter, becoming stronger, sending out a wave of Light that touched the Light of all Guardians and Ghosts present. It was comforting, erasing any lingering suspicions they had towards it. Ellie, Bitsine, and Crux remembered this feeling when they were cleansed of the Mark of Negation. Avez, Kelly, and Pekis were new to it but welcomed it none the less.

When it was over, Pekis held the shield close to him. "Pekis?" Kelly said, getting his attention. "Are you okay?"

Pekis lowered the shield, collecting his thought seemingly awestruck by what had occurred. "I... am fine."

"You sure?" Bitsine started, "Because that whole thing looked pretty mind-boggling from where I'm standing."

It was hard for Pekis to put into words. Feeling the Aegis' Light bind to him was breathtaking as if the Traveler itself had crafted and sent it to them. "I am certain."

"Well, that's well and good and all but one question." Crux said, "What do we do now?"

While they were distracted by the appearance of the relic, a powerful Axis Mind had regained full control of itself with help from another residing in the heart of the Vault. The Templar returned. All six Guardians looked up at the Hydra, still in pristine condition. Its systems reinforce by a new series of firewalls created to ward off any further hacking attempt by outside parties, the Templar was ready to finish its work. Detecting the six intruders below it, the Hydra shifted its gaze down, priming its canons to lay waste to all of them. That's when it spotted it.

Pekis felt the Templar's gaze focus on him, but he knew it wasn't him that the Vex found so interesting.

'Rouge Anomaly detected.' The Templar zoomed in on the Aegis, scanning it to make sure it was the real deal. It broadcasted an alarm across the Vex network that the shield had been found and was within its sights, accompanied by the intruders no less. For years the Vex were aware of its presence within their dimension. Of the power that it contained. Since its creation, the Aegis has been sought out by the Vex with the full intent on destroying it so it could not be used against them. And now that time had come.

The alarm reached all corners of the Vault of Glass, eliciting a response from the heart of the Vault. 'Eliminate Anomaly.'

'Directive confirmed.' The Templar charged its weapons.

The Guardians kicked dirt seeking to put distance between them and the Hydra. Except for Pekis, who tripped backward, trying to get away. His back hit the floor, and with no time left, he shielded himself with his arms. Kelly stopped running, turning around to see that Pekis had fallen and the Templar firing its guns. "Pekis!"

The Templar's barrage struck something, causing the energy rounds to explode on contact, but it wasn't the Hunter they hit. Pekis opened his eyes when the death he expected did not come. He found himself inside a transparent barrier of sorts created by the Aegis, expanding its energy out through its sides. The Templar ceased its onslaught seeing that its attack had no effect. The other Guardians watched in amazement as Pekis picked himself up, still protected by the shield on his arm. When he was back on his feet, the barrier vanished, and he quickly sought cover before the Templar could react.

"Pekis, how did you do that?" Kelly met back up with him.

Pekis lifted the Aegis up, "I didn't. It was this. It sought to protect me." The other Guardians converged on their location curious as to what happened and to decide their next course of action.

The Templar had just about enough of what it could take and decided to go on the offensive. Rather than guarding the doorway, it activated its personal teleporter, vanishing from its usual position, reappearing in the middle of the center flank where it had a clear view of the intruders.

Crux ended their discussion, pointing at the Hydra that now had a fix on their location. "It's moving now!"

The Templar charged it canons to fire a volley of energy explosive. Pekis reacted swiftly, rushing in front of them he raised the Aegis again, recreating the barrier that protected him minutes ago, surrounding all of them in a protective sphere. The Templar attacked with rapid-fire bursts attempting to break the shield's defensive. On the inside, the Lightwielders were perfectly safe. None of them could even feel the shockwaves from the impacts, but they still were ready to move if something went wrong.

Pekis felt the Aegis holding firm against the assault. Furthermore, there was something else going on. A build-up of energy in the shield, growing faster as it absorbed bits of power from the attack. The Templar stopped, its canons overheating from overuse, giving Pekis a chance to retaliate. He undid the barrier, the Aegis shining like a star, overflowing with power waiting to be let out. He focused, using his connection with the Aegis channel its energy, concentrating it into an attack.

Pekis let it out, firing it as an explosive payload out the front of the shield, sending it flying at the Templar. No one expected it to do anything, but they were all wrong. The attack exploded after hitting the Templar's shields. To everyone's surprise, when it did, the white barrier that had been surrounding the Templar the entire time disappeared.

The Templar let out a wail. Its shields had been breached, and now it was vulnerable. 'Error: defensive barrier breached! Unable to respond! Error!' The destruction of its shields caused a backlash, stunning the Templar.

The Guardians were overcome with surprise. None of there previous attempts did anything to break the Templar's shields, but this relic that showed up out of nowhere did? The moment of collective silence was ceased when Crux fired a grenade from his Prospector. The Explosive hit the Hydra's body, taking off a piece of its chassis. Everyone turned around to see the Exo Hunter holding his grenade launch as he said, "We can shoot it now!"

Snapping out of their bewilderment, they all raised their weapons, firing on the Axis Mind in their way. The Templar detected numerous projectiles and explosive impacting it body, damaging it, something that's never been done before. After about a minute of continuous shooting, the Templar vanished again, returning to its original post with its shields restored. Now it was pissed. It had been injured, its body covered with bullet holes, pieces of its armor broken off. So for that, it summoned everything it had.

A distinctive ringing put everyone on alert. "Oracles!" Avez shouted out, spotting a yellow star with more on the way. To make things worse, the Vex units that had been shut down reactivated on command by the Templar. One by one, the red lights of the Vex's eyes returned, their bodies mobilizing to do away with the intruders once and for all.

"Scatter!" Pekis order and the other Guardians did as he said, splitting up avoiding Vex fire where the could and hunting down the yellow constructs before they could complete their calculations. As Pekis closed in on the first, he pulled out on of his shock pistols, firing five shots damaging the Oracle then bashed it with the Aegis. The shield's power destroyed the Oracle, breaking it into pieces.

In response, the Templar summoned its Fanatics again, sending them to mark the Guardians for Negation. The incomplete units spread all around going after whichever intruder was nearest to them. While most of the Guardians used guns to take out the Vex, Pekis was unable to do so due to the relic attached to him. It made it too difficult for him to hold up a rifle properly, and his shock pistols wouldn't do enough damage to the Minotaurs coming at him. So instead, he unsheathed his sword. Sword and shield in hand, the Hunter charged the Vex head-on.

Kelly finished on a rushing Fanatic with a well-placed shot to the core, its radiolaria splattered its immediate area but did touch anyone. As she reloaded, Avez shoulder charged a Goblin coming up behind her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. What about the others?"

"Come on, motherfuckers!" Bitsine was going all out, charging at the incoming Vex, punching and blasting every robot she saw. Shooting off the head of a Goblin, Bitsine grabbed and lifted it over her head, throwing it at a duo of Fanatics. Pinned under the dense body, they were quickly taken out by a grenade. "Who next!"

Crux and Ellie worked together, going after the Oracles the Templar continued to summon. Being the one the Aegis bound itself to, Pekis acted as a distraction. For Years, the Vex knew the Aegis to be a threat, a power they have no control over, and did not belong. After helping the Guardians destroy the Templar's shields, the shield's destruction became paramount.

A Minotaur fired a burst from its torch hammer; Pekis protected himself with a barrier forcing the Vex to get close. Its fist collided with the center of the Aegis. The shield responded by releasing an energy burst destroying the Minotaur's arm, Pekis finishing it off with a swing of its sword. More came for him, the Hunter bashing them to pieces or cutting them up. Dozens of robots fell to him, unable to injure with the Aegis providing him with protection.

With its Legions and Oracles unable to deal with the intruders themselves, the Templar once again took to the battle, teleporting to join its charges to do away with Pekis. Seeing the Hydra ready its weapons, the Aegis wielder raised the shield enveloping himself in its protective barrier. He was shot at from all sides. The Templar blasting away at the defense from the front with its legions encroaching from all sides. The Aegis had yet to fully charge for another attack.

Buying themselves some time after destroying the last Oracle, the other Guardians took note of Pekis situation. A Goblin got close enough to step inside the barrier. Pekis took three shots to the back before he used his shock pistol to kill it. More Vex got closer, and with the Templar keeping him pinned with its canons, he couldn't drop the barrier without being blown to bits.

A Minotaur was next, stepping into the barrier reaching out to grab him but was stopped by Golden Gun to the chest. "I got your back!" Crux fired two more shots into another Minotaur then pull out his Last Word.

Kelly floated across the battlefield, landing behind Pekis in the safety of the barrier, giving him cover as the Aegis allowed her weapons to shot through the barrier while their comrades dealt the Vex, picking off the Templar's minions. Seeing its legions being killed off, the Templar turned its sights to the Guardians. They managed to avoid being blasted using their Light, providing the distraction Pekis needed. He felt the Aegis complete its charge, and with the Templar distracted, he dropped the barrier, focusing the Aegis' power and releasing it. Just as before, the energy blast knocked out the Templar's shields, causing a backlash that left it temporally stunned. "NOW!" Pekis ordered.

Wasting no time, Ellie flanked the Hydra firing a rocket from her Dragon's Breath. It impacted the Templar's side blowing off a significant portion of its outer armor and damaging some of its internal workings. It didn't stop there. The blazing fire the rocket left behind continued burning the Templar, scorching circuits and melting its plating. The damage done was compounding by the combined firearms of the other Guardians. More of its armor cracked, chipping off, leaving it more vulnerable to injury.

The Templar was able to regain control of itself again, restoring its shields to protect against their attacks. Seeing the veil of energy surround the Hydra, the Guardian ceased their attack, falling back as the Templar's legions regrouped and resumed attacking them. The Axis Mind was holding on by a thread. Its appearance was far from the unscathed condition it was in during its initial arrival. Much of its armor had been damaged, broken off its body, exposing its insides. The explosion from Ellie's rocket blew off its left side canon, along with a good portion of its side, including the sphere floating on its left, making a noticeable gap covered in scorch marks.

The Templar vision was glitching do to extensive internal damage, flashes of static blinding it. Its levitation was wobbly now, difficult for it to stay floating instead of falling. 'Er-r-or: Extensive sys-tem damage d-tec-ted. Unable to ac-tiva-te transport systems.' The Hydra still had control over its remaining gun, but its targeting system was also shot, making it inaccurate.

The sparks and inaccurate attacks from Templar told Pekis that it was on its last legs. One more barrage would be enough to finish it off, but they needed to wait for the Aegis to recharge again. Until then, they had more Vex to deal with.

The Guardians held their ground against the onslaught of robots. Their confidence gained a boost from their recent success. Vex were gunned down in droves, unable to gain any advantage. The Templar was crippled, but its power over the Oracles was absolute. More music entered the fray accompanied by the appearance of the Oracles, the Templar last chance of Victory.

Splitting up the fireteams set out to break the singing stars yet again. Pekis and Bitsine went after the first and second Oracles. A Minotaur stood between them and their target. Pekis rushed ahead, shield raised he struck the Minotaur, the impact lifting it off the ground and finished it off with a slash from his sword. Bitsine ran past him, tackling a goblin out of her way she fired her Perun's Fire, the volley of energy balls destroying the yellow construct. Unfortunately, Bitsine slowed down enough for three hobgoblins to zero in on her, and with three headshots, she was down.

Her Ghost came out into the open to revive her, leaving him exposed to the Vex. The hobgoblins attempted to pick off the vulnerable Ghost, but he became protected by Pekis using the Aegis' barrier. He spared some of his Light to speed up the revival process, but before Bitsine could get back up, he charged the second Oracle, ramming it with enough force to break it.

"Thanks for the save!" the grateful Titan said.

"You are welcome!" Pekis cut a Goblin in half and rejoined his friend.

Ellie threw a solar grenade, hitting an oracle directly. The intense heat made quick work of the yellow shell, allowing her to focus on the Goblins and Harpies coming at her. Ellie went after the next, several Goblins in her way she used her Assemble II to take them out, but they manage to take out her shield in time for a Hobgoblin to shoot her in the arm, making her unable to hold up a rifle for the time being. "I'm hit!"

Kelly heard Ellie cry in pain. Taking out the offending Hobgoblin, she gave her cover while Dex healed her wound. After flexing her arm, Ellie and Kelly worked together, putting bullet holes in the Oracle until it broke apart. "You okay?" Kelly asked.

"I'm good. What about the others?"

Crux and Avez both took an Oracle with combined firepower. As they closed in on the last one, a Minotaur was able to flank the Hunter knocking him into a wall with a swing of its arm. "That sucker hurt!" Crux wheezed, hitting the ground.

"Crux!" Avez turned to the Minotaur that fired a blast from its torch hammer. The Titan avoided the energy ball, catching the metal fist swung at him. He yanked the appendage to straighten it out then brought his fist down on the elbow to break it. The Minotaur step back after losing its arm, raising its gun to retaliate, but Avez's Jolder's Hammer killed it before it could shoot.

Crux got back up, remembering the Oracle, and took it out with his Havoc Pigeon. "Those things hit hard."

With all the Oracles destroyed, all that was left was the Templar itself. By now, it wasn't much of a threat on its own, so severely damaged. Power fluctuations were frequently happening. Its sight hadn't gotten any better, instead relying on its proximity sensors, which too weren't very reliable anymore. Pekis felt the Aegis reach maximum charge. After dealing with several Vex surrounding him, he called out to his teammates, "I am ready! Get into position!"

Everyone acknowledged, clearing out the remaining Vex they all surrounded the Templar. The Axis Mind detected the Guardians all around it using its sensors. Detecting another energy build-up from the anomaly alerted it that it was in danger. The Templar had been so severely damaged it wouldn't survive another onslaught. It turned its body to face the Eliksni, primed it remaining cannon and fired. Pekis easily avoided it, given the Hydra's aim was for shit at this point.

The Aegis glowed brighter, its power channeling into an attack. Pekis also channeled his power, crackling with Arc-Light the faint void hue of his sword Fatebringer turned light blue, electricity running up and down the blade. The power of his Bladedanncer course through his body, traveling down the arm the Aegis was attached to. The shield began absorbing his power, supercharging its attack. The metal crackled with the same energy Pekis did, practically jumping to be let out. Pekis gave it what it wanted, firing the energy build-up at the Templar.

This time the energy blast was a light blue color instead of pure white due to being supercharged by Pekis' super. Contact with the Templar's shield caused a massive explosion, electricity danced in the air. The Templar's shields were destroyed, and like before, it created a backlash stunning. On top of that, the energy that Pekis' power put into the Aegis' attack electrified the Hydra, frying its internal circuitry. To make things worse, the Guardians poured everything they had on it. Bullets dug into its broken body, piercing metal and wires alike.

Pekis moved in for the final blow. Surging with power and twirling his sword, he blinked directly in front of the Templar. He looked up at the dying Vex with contempt. For untold millennia the Templar was responsible for the deaths of many explorers and warriors that dared enter this realm, and now the tables were turned. The Hunter leaped up, cutting open the Templar's front with his sword all the way up to its malfunctioning eye, slicing it in half. Pekis land some yards away, watching the Templar go up in small explosions.

'Er-ro-r: Cri-tica-l Da-ma-ge sus-tai-ned. Una-ble to in-it-iate re-pai-rs. Pow-er loss det-ect-ed. Sys-te-m shu-t do-wn immin...' And that was it. The Templar's injuries had finally taken their toll. One by one, its systems began shutting down due to damage or power failures, and like all Hydras upon death, its core was overloading. The two remaining metal spheres that hovered close to its body separated from it, bouncing off the ground in different directions. Beams of light shined through the cracks and holes in the Templar's body.

The Guardians all kept their distance as the Templar hit the ground, falling over on its side, the light coming from it becoming near blinding. Finally, the Templar exploded, bit and pieces of its body flying in all directions. The remaining Vex in the Templar's Well began to shut down in response to the Axis Mind's death. With nothing to command the Templar's Legions, they all dropped to the ground, their red eyes turning black. Bitsine watched the last Goblin go down just as she felt something bump into her leg.

The smoke from the explosion cleared, leaving a field of debris. None moved. The Guardians examined the area around them, taking a moment to process their accomplishment. They had done something no other has been able to. They killed the Templar, The head of the Vault of Glass' security, the Axis Mind that made Pahanin flee the Vault in terror, that decimated Kabr's fireteam.

They did not know it yet, but the Templar's death was already sending ripples throughout the Vex network. Without the Templar, there was a significant gap in the Vault's power structure. The Vex lost one of their most powerful units. Its ability to wipe out hostiles through ontological warfare was matched only by few. It had been given command over much of the Vex's legions. It had always been in charge of protecting the inner chambers of the Vault, ensuring they were not accessed by foreign invaders, and with it gone, none were left to guard them. The Oracles, for now, were left without something to make use of them.

Even so, The Vault of Glass was not defeated. The Templar was gone, but it was not the centerpiece. Eventually, another will take its place should nothing be about the true center of the Vault. And until the heart of the Vault is destroyed, the threat that one day the Vex will bring their terrible weapons into reality remained very real.

"We did it!" Crux shouted with joy, "We fucking killed it! How do you like us now, you pile of shot up crap!?" The Exo decided to do a little dance, Shooting his Last Word in the air to celebrate.

The others had similar, quieter feelings. They all felt a surge of pride and accomplishment. Through his bond with the Aegis, Pekis felt the shield also experience joy. After all the years it spent waiting, it had finally obtained vengeance for its creator. The Templar's Oracles are what change Kabr into what he has become, and now it was assured it wouldn't happen to anyone else.

Crux took things up a notch, pulling out his Havoc Pigeon, firing that as well. That's when Ellie decided to intervene. "Crux, Stop it. your wasting ammo."

Crux stopped his dance, "Come one, killjoy. We just blew the thing up. That's cause for a little celebration."

"We're not done yet, and you know it. Save your bullets until we leave this place, then you can go nuts."

"Fine, fine." Defeated, Crux lowered his weapons.

"Don't worry," Avez placed a hand on Crux's shoulder. "When we are done, we can have a party back in the Tower." Crux liked that idea.

"And check out the souvenir I got!" Bitsine callout to everyone as she held up a Metal sphere in the air.

Inspecting it, Kelly recognized it as one of the balls the Templar had and in surprisingly good shape. "How did you get that?"

"It hit me in the leg earlier after the Templar exploded." Bitsine ran her hand along the bumpy surface of the sphere, the blue glow it had still present probably because it had its own internal power source. A gentle humming sound came from it that Bitsine found rather soothing. "This is gonna make a good trophy!"

"Hey, no fair." Crux complained, "Why do you get to keep it?"

"Fuck you. You guys already got a shit ton of trophies back at your crib. We barely have any."

"Is it safe?" Pekis questioned.

Bitsine's Ghost came out to answer that question. Firing a beam of light into the sphere, he concluded, "It's safe. This is a Vex data storage device, like an advance external hard drive. And there's a lot of data on here. Maps, access codes, testing data, even simulation recordings from someplace called the Infinite Forest."

"Infinite Forest? What the hell is that?" Bitsine asked.

"Not sure. It doesn't say, and there are no coordinates for its location, so who knows."

"Tell you what," Crux interrupted, "how about I trade you one of my trophies for that." He pointed to the sphere.

"Here's my counter." Bitsine swung the sphere at Crux's head, making a clanging sound, knocking him to the ground. "I think that a perfect compromise, don't you think?"

"Yup, no argument here." Crux got back up, glad that he was still wearing his helmet, so it didn't hurt that much.

Kelly punched Bitsine in the arm, "Be nice!"

"Enough!" Pekis gathered everyone's attention. "We must press onward." Everyone turned to the door the Templar had been guarding prior to its death. "Can you open it?"

Bitsine's Ghost fired another beam into the sphere, searching its data banks. "Yup, the access code is here?"

"Good." The Guardians ceased all camaraderie, checking their equipment for the path ahead. Bitsine had the sphere placed safely in her inventory. Reloading their weapons They all were ready to continue, and with the Aegis in hand, Pekis was confident they had a genuine chance of victory.

Just as he was all set, the Aegis began acting strangely. It started shaking out of control, so much so that Pekis' arm was doing so as well. He grabbed onto it with his other three arms trying to steady it with little success.

"Pekis, what's wrong?" Kelly noticed Pekis having difficulties, as did everyone else.

Pekis grunted, trying to get the Aegis under control. "Its the Aegis! Something's happening!"

Aepvis did a scan on the shield. Physically there was nothing wrong, but its Light was fluctuating, attempting to fend off an intruder. Since the day it was created, the Aegis had its own connection to the Vex network that it uses to monitor them. It always kept its intrusion into the network short and at a minimum so the Vex could never find it, but by aiding the Guardians as it did now, it had exposed itself.

The Aegis began glowing brightly, emitting a high pitched sound that everyone heard. "What happening!?" Avez held a hand over his helmeted face to block out the light.

Soon the effects were present on Pekis as well, traveling up his arm, and throughout the rest of his body, he became too bright to look at directly. "The Vex! They're..." Aepvis tried to finish, but it was too late.

There was a flash of blinding light that lit up the Templar's Well and the chasm around it. It soon faded away as fast as it came, and when it was over, Pekis, Aepvis, and the Aegis were gone. The rest of the Guardians stared at was the Fallen was with shock.

"Where the fuck did he go!?" Kelly demanded, looking all around her, but didn't see Pekis anywhere.

The others followed her example, spreading out to search for him, but it soon became all too apparent. Pekis was gone. The Vex had taken him away, far from the aid of his allies. Where they would deal with him and put an end to the relic once and for all.


	42. Chapter 42

**Venus, Vault of Glass**

"Where the fuck did he go!?" Is all Kelly could say upon seeing Pekis vanish into thin air. It happened so suddenly. Moments ago, the Fallen had been with them getting ready to delve deeper into the Vex stronghold when he became enveloped in a bright light that originated from the relic attached to his arm. When the Aegis first arrived, Kelly and the other Guardians were skeptical as to whether or not it could be trusted. When it released its pulse of energy, It touched the hearts and Light of all the Guardians and Ghosts present, making them put faith in the hope that Kabr left for them to use. Now it seemed that faith may have been misplaced. Was the Aegis a trap all along? But if so, why would the Vex allow them to destroy the Templar?

"Pekis!" Bitsine hollered into the gorge the Templar's Well resided in, her voice echoing farther into the darkness, hoping Pekis would be close enough to respond but no dice. "Damn it!" She and the other Guardians spent some time searching the area of the Templar's Well for any sign of Pekis' whereabouts. So far, they hadn't had any luck in finding him. Wherever they Vex sent him to had to have been somewhere far away.

Walker detected increased levels of stress in Kelly. "Don't worry, Kelly. I'm sure wherever Pekis is, he's okay." His assurance did little to help.

"How do you know?"

"It's Pekis, he doesn't need anyone to protect him, and with that shield he has, it would be more prudent to be worried about any Vex that get in his way. We'll see him again soon enough. Just have faith in him."

"Faith." Kelly couldn't deny what he said. Pekis was strong. Growing up in a Fallen House as he must have, he probably had to deal with hardships that no one in the City ever had to. In battle, he never wavers, and his Light is genuinely superb. Now he had the Aegis, Kabr's creation. She didn't know much about the Titan, but for Kabr to have created such a relic in his final hours before being completely corrupted by the Vex must have taken everything he had. She felt its Light touch her and didn't feel malic or anything of the like. No Vex could be capable of making something like that. "Fine."

"Hey, everyone," Ellie called out, "On me." Everyone gathered together with Ellie in front of the door, the Templar was guarding, forming a circle. She made sure everyone was there before saying. "Okay, listen up. We don't know where Pekis but we have to keep moving. If we stay too long, the Vex are going to come back. We don't want to do a rerun of The Templar Attacks."

Kelly crossed her arms, "You're not suggesting we abandon him, are you?" Bitsine did the same thing, not liking that idea either.

"No," Ellie took a breath, "Look, I know you two are close with him, but you should know him well enough that he would want you to be more concerned about getting yourselves through this alive than worrying about him. If we survive this place, we can search for him later. You have to trust that he can handle himself. So do you?

Kelly and Bitsine shared a look with one another then look back at Ellie. "Without a doubt," Bitsine answered confidently. She fought with Pekis numerous times since they met, and she knew he could handle anything that was thrown at him, with or without help.

"Then, that's its." Ellie finished.

"That all well and good, but what now?" Crux question, not wanting to stand around all day. There were more places to explore and more robots to blow up, and he wasn't going to leave the Vault until he got his own trophy from it. Avez was in a similar mood. They had just destroyed the Templar, crippling the Vault's defenses. And they couldn't stop there, not if they wanted to stop the Vex.

Ellie pointed to the doorway leading to the inner sanctums of the Vault of Glass. "Bitsine, does that sphere have access to the door?"

"One moment," Bitsine's Ghost said, accessing the data banks of the sphere in Bitisine's inventory. "It has access codes. Get me to the door." Bitsine walked over to the said door, letting her Ghost out who fired a beam into its center. Seconds later, the panels making up the door began shifting, moving aside, opening up the way farther into the Vault for the Guardians. "here you go."

After double-checking her weapon, Ellie went through first. "Let's go." Everyone followed her. Crux, Avez then Bitsine and lastly Kelly, who took a moment looking back at the Templar's Well, praying to the Traveler that Pekis would find his way back to them.

Elsewhere, after being forcibly separated by his teammates, Pekis found himself in a freefall. It happened out of now where. One second he was with his comrades ready to face whatever else the Vault had in store for them, then he consumed by a bright light and was transported somewhere high in the air. Pekis initially screamed when gravity took effect, forcing him downward towards a vast glowing white surface below. Pekis straightened out, his eyes zooming everywhere to get a grasp on the situation.

"It's a radiolarian lake!" Aepvis warned, "Were going to fall in!"

Pekis heart rate sped up more than it already did. He knew what would happen if he fell in the white liquid. He didn't want to become corrupted like Kabr. It couldn't end like this! There had to be a way to survive! As he got closer, Pekis spotted a solid object sticking out of the fluid surface. "There!"

Aepvis saw everything Pekis did through his helmet, telling the Guardian, "Go for it!"

Waiting a few seconds, Pekis used his Light to slow his descent and push his body in the direction of the platform. Gravity retook effect, his speed picking up every second. The distance between Pekis and the platform closed quick, and he used his Light again to slow his descent. Pekis feet landed on the platform, his legs bent, he hammered the edge of the Aegis into the ground creating a loud bang. Pekis' heartbeat slowly calmed down. Standing up, he took in his surroundings. He stood at the edge of a lake of white radiolaria. The top of the platform he stood on was a foot above the fluid surface and gave Pekis enough space to walk around.

Pekis use the moment of Peace he had to inspect himself. Physically he was okay, no missing body parts, or injuries of any kind. Still, between the teleportation and the fall, he did feel a bit disoriented. Aepvis felt the same. He detected the Vex overriding the Aegis' control over its teleportation capabilities. The Aegis itself felt violated after having its systems over by the Vex, and its feelings were shared with Aepvis and Pekis.

Pekis lifted the Aegis in front of him, inspecting it for any damage. To his surprise, he couldn't find a single scratch on it. After all that fighting, the Vex didn't damage it in the slightest. With help from Aepvis, it was able to block the opening in its systems the Vex exploited to bring them there so they wouldn't have to worry about another highjacking. "You are resilient," Pekis told the relic, getting a flash in response.

"Well, it is a weapon of the Light," Aepvis reminded, "It's probably going to take more than a few Goblins and Minotaurs to damage it. Now how are we going to get out of here?"

Pekis looked around. It was clear that the Vex planned to drop them into the radiolaria to corrupt them, but they were able to land on a safe spot. But now it seemed they were stuck. "Aepvis, can we use the Aegis' power to get us back to the others?"

"Afraid not. When the Vex highjacked the Aegis, they disabled its teleportation function so it couldn't use it to get us out. We have to get back some other way."

Pekis grumbled. Another way? It seemed like there was no way to get out without swimming, and that would be suicidal. The radiolaria around him illuminated the area. Pekis couldn't see any form of pathway they could use to escape. As Pekis contemplated their course of action, the Aegis began to glow brighter. "What?" The glow it gave off fluctuated as he moved the shield around. "What is it doing?"

Aepvis did a scan on the relic. "It's power is resonating with something."

"Resonating?" Pekis continued moving the Aegis around, trying to find the direction the resonance was most active. The direction it was strongest went further across the lake, having his back facing the rock wall that radiolaria ended at. With that, they had a direction in mind, but the problem remained, how were they going to move? In seconds pekis felt the platform on which he stood start to rumble under his feet. "What's happening!?"

"I don't know!?"

Pekis feared that the floor under him was going to collapse and send them falling into a watery grave. But instead, ahead of them, tall solid pillars began emerging out of the lake for as far as the Hunter could see. Each one varied in height and width but were within jumping distance with one another. Traversing them would be a simple feat for a Guardian, but it made Pekis suspicious. "What is this?

"I think its an invitation. Were going right? It's not like we have any other options."

The situation didn't sit well with Pekis. Whatever the Vex had in store couldn't be good, but whatever it was, he couldn't back down from it. Not now. Then the floor beneath him rumbled again as it started to sink into the radiolaria. "Damn it!" No time to lose, Pekis leaped towards the nearest pillar, the initial jump not enough to cross the distance, so he used his Light for a double jump. Landing on the pillar, he turned around watching the top of the platform go under the white liquid surface, out of his view.

"I guess the Vex aren't taking no for an answer." Aepvis seemed to be right as the pillar Pekis now stood on started to sink as well, forcing him to jump to the next before it fell all the way in. Seconds after landing, the next pillar did the same, and Pekis had to keep moving. "Don't stop! Keep moving!"

Aepvis didn't have to tell Pekis twice. He leaped from pillar to pillar, not stopping to think about his next move and just continued to head further up the lake. As he did so, the Aegis' resonance grew stronger bit by bit, but Pekis had no time to contemplate it. He hoped the others would be fine without him. If the Templar was only guarding the way deeper into the Vault, then what else awaited inside?

With the way past the Templar's Well open, the Guardians pressed forward, traversing the path farther into the Vault. Ellie led the way with the others following behind, each of them with weapons ready for anything the Vex had in store. The sound of boots on rock was the only thing that could be heard in the dark cavern they traveled through. None said a word, the air thick with suspense.

The silence was beginning to become too much for Crux, so he tried to start up some conversation. "Sooo... how long do you guys think the Vex have been down here?"

"Well records recovered from the Ishtar Academy say that the Vex ruins on the surface predate Human civilization by a few billion years," Kelly answered. "So, I'm guessing they've been around at least that long."

"Billions!? Wow! That's a long time to be sitting around doing nothing. You think they would have taken over the system by now."

Bitsine had something to say, "What I don't get is if the Vex supposedly have the power to time-travel, then why are we even here? They could just go back in time and make it so that Humanity never existed."

"We can't pretend to understand why the Vex do what they do." Avez thew in, "For all, we know they're waiting for us to fulfill a purpose that's necessary for their existence."

"Whatever the case is, we still have a job to do." Ellie reminded them, "Find the center of the Vault and take it out so the Vex can't use the weapons they have in here against us. We do that, and we won't have to worry about them wiping us from the timeline."

"No argument here," Bitsine responded. The path the Guardians took eventually led to a deep drop. Ellie stood on the ledge overlooking the next section of the Vault of Glass they would have to pass through. The area below them was made of different paths intersecting with one another in between large boulders. It all was contained within an isolated location with no apparent way out from the bird's eye view the Guardians had. "Now, where are we?"

"Almost looks like a maze of some sort," Kelly said, examining the paths below them.

"I'm not seeing any way out." Avez said, "But we won't know for sure until we go down there."

Ellie had a thought, "Bitsine, does the sphere have any intel?"

Bitsine's Ghost rummaged through the sphere's data banks distributing what he found with his fellow Ghosts. "Yup, and we need to be very careful from here because-"

"Alley-oop!" Crux said, jumping off the ledge heading down below into the Labyrinth.

"Crux, wait!" Avez tried to say but was to late. "Damn it!" He went after him, leaping off the ledge heading downward.

"Goddamnit!" Ellie facepalmed, "Crux is going to be the permanent death of me one of these days!" Ellie followed the other members of her fireteam, leaving Kelly and Bitsine as the last two on the ledge.

Bitsine watched them descend into the maze below, using their Light to land safely onto the ground. She was about to go after them when she noticed Kelly on one knee checking the area out. "You coming?"

"Y-yeah, I am. Just go on ahead. I'll be down in a minute." Nodding Bitsine did so, joining the members of Hammer Scorch, leaving Kelly by herself. Her eyes were fixed on the paths ahead, looking for anything suspicious.

"Is something wrong?" Walker asked his Guardian.

At first, Kelly didn't answer, only focused on the maze below, then she stood up. "Nothing, it just that I saw something moving down there." She took a few steps back, getting ready to jump.

"Saw what?"

"Something glowing." Kelly took a running start, jumping off the ledge heading down to meet up with her teammates.

She landed safely using her Light, find that Crux and Avez were in an argument. "Damn it, Crux, why do you have to keep doing things like that?" Avez said, frustrated with Crux's antics.

"What? It's not like going back's an option with the front door locked. We gotta keep moving."

"You can't just rush off like that down here! We have to be smart about this! Who knows what else is down here!"

As Crux and Avez continued with their back and forth, the other three Guardians took the time to examine their surroundings. They had landed behind a large boulder blocking their view. There weren't any Vex assaulting their position, so they had to be safe for the time being.

Kelly went around the rock, peaking out the side to check the area out. At first, there was nothing only multiple paths that went off into different directions, then something came out. "Hey, guys," Kelly called out, keeping her voice down, "You gonna want to see this."

Curious, Bitsine and Ellie went over to Kelly's side while Crux and Avez went around the other side. They stayed behind cover, peaking out to see what Kelly was talking about. "What the hell is that?" Bitsine questioned. Yards away floating in the center of an intersection, a Harpy was scanning its surrounding area. Except this was no ordinary Harpy of the Vex. Its eye was a bright blue color as opposed to the standard red. The ends of its fins glowed the same color, the energy fading the closer it got to the eye. It also had two pairs of thin blue wavy tails on either of its main body.

"A Harpy?" Crux guessed rather accurately, though the odd designed made him second guess himself.

"A Gorgon." Soul informed having gone over the information Bitsine's Ghost distributed. "The Vex have them patrolling this area, looking for us."

"Then let's not disappoint them," Crux took out his prospector, checking to make sure it was fully loaded then stepped out into the open. The Gorgon was facing away from Crux, unaware of his presence as it scanned the direction ahead of it.

"Crux, wait!" Avez tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie spotted Crux walking up to the strange Harpy their Ghosts dubbed as Gorgons. "Damn it, Crux!"

"Get ready to go loud!" Bitsine instructed, prompting the Guardians to have their weapons ready.

Crux picked up a rock, "Hey," He threw it, hitting the Gorgon on it fin, causing it to turn around, spotting the Exo with his Grenade launcher ready. "Say hello to my little-" Before he could finish, the Gorgon's eye became a crimson red color, the light it made becoming more akin to a searchlight.

It expanded its fins out, making a loud wail, sending a message out to the rest of its kind that one of the intruders has been found. 'Paracausity entity detected. Initiating Erasure Protocol.'

At first, Crux thought it was just putting on a light show, but then he felt his strength fading. "W-wha..." His voice sounded distorted, the only thing scaring him more was seeing the hand he put in front of his face begin to fade, becoming transparent.

"Shoot! SHOOT!" Ellie rushed out of cover, firing her weapon at the Gorgon with the others doing the same. The Gorgon detected projectiles impacting its frame but persisted in carrying out its function to erase intruders that it spotted. Dents and cracks were made all across its body but did nothing to deter it from its objective.

"That thing's got tough armor!" Bitsine took out her Warpath launcher, as did Avez with his Scorch Torch CC. They both fired one rocket, each sending their explosive payloads on a direct course with the Gorgon. They exploded simultaneously, the Gorgon blown to bits instantly, pieces of its body sent flying.

When the smoke cleared, all that was left was scattered debris, and Crux dropped to his knees, returning to normal, "Fuck! I never want to do that again!"

"You better not!" Soul warned, having also felt the effects of the Gorgon's gaze through her connection to Crux. She could feel herself fading away, being erased from time. For the Vex to have such a unit at their disposal, they were lucky to be alive.

His strength returning, Crux got back up, a little disoriented from the experience but nothing he couldn't get a handle on. Afterward, Ellie went up to him, "From now on, you do not engage unless you're clear to do so, got it?"

"Okay, fine."

"What the hell was happening?" Bitsine asked, confused, seeing Crux's body fading away.

Her Ghost answered, "That Gorgon was erasing Crux from our timeline. If it succeeded, it would have been like Crux was never here."

"Seriously!? Just by looking at him!?" Bitsine could feel her Ghost nodding to answer and went, "Damn!"

Truely the Gorgon's gaze was something to be terrified of. These Harpies, the Gorgons, were another of the one of the Vault of Glass' most dangerous weapons. They have the power to erase intruders they spotted from time. Whereas the Templar relied on its Oracles to make precise calculations to ensure complete erasure of its target, the Gorgons rely on their gaze to wipe intruders from time immidently, acting as the blunt instruments of the Vex's ontological arsenal. Because of the nature of this measure, those who fall to the Gorgons gaze are subjected to an incomplete erasure, resulting in traces of their existence to remain. As is the case with Praedyth, whose memory lives on it the pages of Pahanin's Errata.

Ellie scowled at Crux from behind her helmet when her Ghost, Dex, detect something coming on their radar, "We got company! Hide quick!"

All scrambled to hide, rushing behind the boulder where they first landed. They all kept quiet, slowly peaking out to see that three more Gorgons arrived where the first one died. Each one was identical to the first in every way. From the color of their bodies to their glowing tails. The Gorgons searched all around them, looking for the intruders their dead kin warned them of. The Guardians kept out of sight, now aware that being spotted would be incredibly dangerous.

The Gorgons examined the remains of their dead kin, emitting a light similar to when Ghosts scan things. 'Unit terminated. Intruder location unknown. Beginning assimilation.' One by one, the bits and pieces of the dead Gorgon scattered about vanished in the light of the other Gorgons. "What are they doing?" Avez questioned.

Jade answered him. "They're assimulating the parts of the dead Gorgon into their own bodies, making their armor denser and more resilient. Basically, the next Gorgon you try to kill will probably be stronger than the last."

Avez cursed. It was bad enough dealing with Vex that can erase them just by looking at them, but each time one Gorgon dies, the others will harvest the remains to become stronger. "What now?"

After absorbing the remaining parts there were, two of the Gorgons left to resume their patrols with the third staying behind to search the area. It headed towards the Guardians' location, ignorant that they were there. Everyone tense up. If the Gorgon spotted them, then it would try to erase them like the last one, but if they killed it, more Gorgons would show up, then they would really be screwed.

"Shit!" Thinking fast, Crux picked up another rock, throwing it with a wide arc sending it far away, colliding with another stone. The sound made lured the Gorgon's attention away from the Guardians' location, heading off to investigate the source.

Kelly let out a sigh of relief, "Nice thinking, Crux!"

"No problem. Now, what do we do?"

Ellie thought about it. It was clear that taking the Gorgons head-on would be a stupid idea. With their abilities to erase people by looking at them, not to mention that they assimilate the bodies of dead Gorgons to get stronger, attacking them would be too dangerous. And more than likely, there would be more Gorgons than the ones they saw, so it seemed that sneaking past would be their best bet. But that left one question; How do they get out of there? "Dex, are there any maps on this area? We need a way out."

"Yes, actually," Dex came out into the open, displaying a holographic projection of the Gorgon's Labyrinth that he was able to make thanks to the information on the Templar's sphere. Everyone circled around, viewing the map before them. Dex highlighted a small spot on the opposite end from where they were. "There's a small cave here that we can use to escape, but along the way are more of those Gorgons searching for us." He showed off the Gorgon patrol routes by making red lines on the map, giving the Guardians a visual on what paths they should avoid. "Huh..."

"What is it?"

"Here." Dex marked a location close to where they were. "Some kind of chamber the Vex have. Don't know what's inside, though."

"We can check it out later." Examining the map, Ellie noticed that area split into two in the middle. And given the number of Gorgons and narrow paths in the Layberinth, moving as a large group would be a bad move. "We should split up. Kelly, Bitsine, and Crux, you three head along to the path to the left here." Ellie traced her finger along the side she wanted them to take. "Me and Avez will head down the right side and will meet up at the cave. Move quite and keep out of sight. Don't engage unless you have to. Got it?"

"Got it!" Everyone acknowledged and split up into their assigned teams, their Ghost providing waypoints to follow. As Crux scouted ahead for Kelly and Bitsine, searching for any nearby Gorgons, Crux guessed that whatever Pekis was up to couldn't be much more dangerous than this.

Since his trek across the lake of Vex fluid began, Pekis had been moving nonstop, jumping from pillar to pillar as each one he landed on began sinking into the radiolaria below, forcing him to keep moving. However, the Vex continued to up the ante, Summoning Hobgoblins to take potshots at him from ledges overlooking the lake. In his situation, Pekis was unable to do anything about the Vex firing at him, forced to block or dodge whatever was fired at him.

After what seemed like an eternity of jumping, Pekis spotted an end to the lake. It was a stone platform connected to a large stairwell leading up into a Vex structuring built into the rock of the Vault of Glass. But positioned in front of it were two white-colored precursor Cyclopes that spotted Pekis coming and charged their eyes for an attack. Pekis tried to use the Aegis' barrier, but the teleportation had drained its energy, making his attempts futile. "Damn it!"

The Cyclopses were fully charged, their bodies glowing with the color of solar. The first one locked onto Pekis, who was still in the air switching between pillars. Its eye glowed brighter, all the stored up energy being focused into the center then released. The attack was not what Pekis was expecting. Instead of a flying ball of explosive power, the Cyclops fired a concentrated beam of hot burning death heading straight for the Hunter. "What!?" No time to lose, Pekis made quick use of his Light to move out of the beam's path, but one of his feet was still caught in it.

"AHH!" Pekis screamed as the flesh and bone of his foot disintegrated on contact, the intense heat cauterizing the wound and burning the skin of his leg. Distracted by the pain, hit the pillar he was going for on hit back almost fall over the edge had he not dug his claws into stone to stop himself. Aepvis immidently worked to restore his Guardian's lost appendage, but the pillar they were on was already sinking into the radiolaria. On top of that, the second Cyclops readied its attack.

Pekis struggled to stand up, using the Aegis as a crutch, he balanced himself on one foot. With no other options, he leaped just at the tip of the pillar suck under the radiolaria. He didn't get much distance on his first jump, but his double jump gave him the boost he needs to grab onto the ledge of another pillar. Pekis planted the sole of his one foot onto the side when the second Cyclops fired a beam of solar power right at him. The beam blasted through several pillars in the way, reducing them to rubble and would do the same to the Hunter.

Pekis pushed off the pillar's side, using his Light to gain more distance as the beam utterly destroyed the spot he was at. Aepvis restored Pekis' leg in the air, allowing him to land safely on another pillar. Both Cyclopses were in a cool-down period, providing Pekis with an opening. "Now's your chance! Move!"

Pekis made a dash for the stairwell, leaping over the remains of destroyed pillars left behind by the Cyclopses attacks. He finally landed on the floor in from of the stairs, in between the two Vex artillery units as they finished recovering. Not wanting to deal with them, Pekis ignored the Vex making a dash for the stairs when a white transparent wall blocked him from going up. "What!?"

"Its a barrier! It's being powered by those Cyclops! We have to take them out!"

Pekis cursed, turning around, he stared down the two Vex units that finished their cool down periods and started recharging their weapons. The pillars Pekis used to get there all sank beneath the radiolaria making retreat impossible and severely limiting his area of mobility. Pekis knew his usual firearms wouldn't do enough damage to destroy the Cyclopses. The Aegis itself was recharging, its energy reserves still depleted but Pekis still had his own power. He reached within himself, letting his power flow out, engulfing his body, forming a sword of arc energy in his hand. The power traveled down his arm, feeding into the Aegis once more. The shield lit up being turbocharged again, its reserves boosted thanks to Pekis Light.

The First Cyclops finished charging, targeting the glowing Hunter, it fired another beam of burning solar fire. This time Pekis was ready. Making use of the Aegis, Pekis held it out, the shield making its barrier this time, supercharged by Pekis' power. The Cyclops fired another beam of solar fire at the Hunter, striking the barrier protecting him. Pekis groaned, feeling the pressure of the attack as the Aegis strained to defend against it. When the attack ended, the Aegis' barrier dropped immediately, having been worn out.

Pekis still stood; seeing an opening, he rushed the Cyclops, impaling his arc sword into its eye, blinding it, the electricity damaging its circuitry. He pulled the sword out violently, creating a large gash in the Vex's body before being finished off with slash. The second Cyclops finished charging, but just as it was about to fire, Pekis threw his arc sword into its eye, interrupting the firing process, causing the build of energy to explode, destroying the Vex.

Pekis' power wore off, and the barrier blocking his path vanished. "The barrier is down. Let's get moving." Aepvis advised.

"Yes." Pekis agreed, heading towards the steps leading to the next area. As he was about to reach the first step, heard the sound of running water behind him. Pekis turned around, seeing that several openings in the walls surrounding the lake were now pouring out waterfalls of radiolaria into the lake. The surface of the lake steadily rose to reach the tip of the floor Pekis stood on and started covering the top, flowing towards the Fallen.

"Run!" Pekis kicked dirt, running up the stairs as the radiolaria reached the bottom of the stairwell, and continue flowing. Seeing the radiolaria catching up, Pekis used his Light to jump up the stair repeatedly to put more distance between him and the white surface following him. "We're almost at the top!" Pekis saw the opening at the top leading out of the stairwell. He picked up the pace, getting closer when the doorway began to close. "Hurry!"

Pekis rushed as fast as he could, reaching the top with the door halfway closed. He slid across the ground, going underneath the closing door, the top of his helmet grazing the bottom and stopped, hearing the sound of the door slamming shut behind him. The rising radiolaria was now cut off from the Hunter, who laid on his back tired from the ordeal. "Is it over?" he asked after removing his face mask to liberate his mouth.

"Define, over."

Pekis chose not to answer, instead got back up, reattaching his mask to his helmet. The path ahead was a short hallway made of stone. Patches of dirt littered the floor, small plants growing out, and near the end was a large root that had broken through the wall. As Pekis walked through, he marveled at how even down in the bowels of the Vault, plant life could grow. "Even down here, life finds a way to flourish."

"I've heard it said that the Light lives in all places, in all things. You can block it, even try to trap it, but the Light will find its way."

Pekis smiled. If vegetation could find a way in the darkness of the Vex stronghold, then perhaps there was truth to that saying. It made him think of the Aegis, how, despite being trapped in the Vault, being hunted by powerful axis minds, it survived and found its way to him, and together, they will face the Vex. At the same time, it also made him think of the Legionless Mind, a Guardian of the Light turned into a Vex champion. Kabr's Light corrupted and twisted by the Vex and now was being used against other Guardians. Even though many didn't think it was possible, the Light found its way into the hands of the City's enemies.

It saddened Pekis to think of the fate of Kabr. He fought so hard for the City, going so far as to try to destroy the heart of the Vault of Glass, but instead, he was consumed by the Vex. In the end, all he could do was leave behind the Aegis, knowing he could not escape the Vault, as hope for someone else to do what he failed to. Pekis felt the Aegis sadden as well. It never got to know its creator, only knowing the purpose it was created for in the first place.

Pekis exited the tunnel, now facing a bridge leading to an archway entrance of a large walled structure built in the middle of another vast lake of radiolaria. Platforms floated in the air surrounding the structure, hovering over the white fluid in no particular pattern. The walls of the structure curved all the way around like a circle, keeping Pekis from seeing the inside.

Pekis stood in front of the bridge, unsure if it was safe to cross. The platforms were too far away to Pekis to jump across, and there were no other paths they could take. As the Hunter contemplated his options, Aepvis detected a build-up of concentrated energy coming from the direction of the structure. "Pekis, up ahead!"

Pekis' head snapped forward, quickly spotting a bright red light on top of the high wall above the structure entrance. A lone figure looked back down at him with a large high powered prototype line rifle in hand. The figure's singular red optic focused in on the Fallen, its hands gripping the gun tightly as it finished charging. "Rouge anomaly detected. Commencing termination." It released the trigger, a line of red hot energy shooting out, the recoil making the figure take a step back, the shot heading straight for Pekis.

In response, Pekis raised the Aegis, prepared to block the attack. When struck, the shield gave out a loud ring, the impact creating a small explosion knocking Pekis off his feet. He felt the Aegis cry in pain; whatever weapon that was it was made for maximum penetration, and for it to cause the shield pain meant a direct shot to him would be a fatal hit. Pekis got back to his feet, spotting the sniper taking aim again he took cover behind a boulder. With how much power that weapon packed, he couldn't be reckless and need a plan of attack. He didn't have much time as another shot from the sniper punched right through the rock he hid behind, missing Pekis' head by an inch.

Pieces of the boulder flew in the air as a chunk of it was blown off. Pekis moved over to the furthest side of the rock. "Damn it!" His cover wasn't going to last, and judging by the time between shots, he had thirty seconds before a third was fired. He couldn't stay there, and there weren't any other pieces of cover nearby he could use. Pekis peeked out, seeing the sniper was still charging his best chance would be to rush his way across the bridge and get close.

That, however, was going be increasingly difficult as he not only had the sniper barring down on him, but it seemed that it had call reinforcements. Hobgoblins appeared on the platforms in the air, each of them armed with line rifles focused on Pekis' position. Not only that, but several Minotaurs and Goblins stepped onto the bridge, the sniper commanding them through the Vex network to flush the Hunter out. The sniper finished charging its weapon, firing another shot that punched through the boulder getting close enough to take off his lower right arm. "AHHH!" Pekis screamed, grabbing the cauterized stump.

Aepvis got to work to restore his arm, but his radar detected Vex getting closer. "Pekis, we have to move!"

Gritting his teeth, Pekis got up. It was now or never. He rushed out, going straight for the Goblins and Minotaurs standing in between him and the bridge. The Vex opened fire, Pekis bocking their attack with the Aegis' barrier getting in close for melee. Pekis bashed the first Goblin in front of him, the impact strengthened by the Aegis power, causing it to break apart dead. A Minotaur came after him next, it too meeting the wrong end of the shield and feel on top a Goblin.

Aepvis finished restoring Pekis' arm, and then the Hunter unsheathed his sword Fatebringer, cutting down every robot in his way. Pekis made it the bridge, now wholly exposed, the Hobgoblins took aim with the sniper following suit firing again. Pekis sidestepped out of the way, the shot grazing the Aegis' metal, causing it pain. Through the bond, Pekis was angered by the harm the Aegis felt as he dodged line rifle shots coming from the distance Hobgoblins. Pekis tapped into his reserves of Light, his body becoming engulfed in burning fire, a gun being created in his hand.

"Danger!" the sniper fired again, Pekis returning fire with his golden gun. The two projectiles collided mid-air, causing an explosion than made a cloud of smoke. While the sniper needed to recharge, Pekis was ready to fire again, sending another bullet of solar fire. It struck the sniper's rifle destroying the weapon and damaging its arm. It stumbled back, registering the damage when a third bullet pierced its shoulder. "Repairs required." Its eye turned back to its usual white color, its body vanishing as it retreated for the time being.

Pekis returned to normal, crossing the entrance to the structure. The Vex he left behind ceased their attack; they too vanishing one after the other leaving Pekis alone in the structure. The opening he passed closed up, a stone slab rising from the floor sealing the way he came. There was a loud thud echoing in all directions, signifying the door was closed.

"It's sealed," Aepvis said.

"Where are we?" Pekis turned around, examining the interior of the structure. The inside appeared much bigger than what the outside suggested. Pekis jumped on top of a column sticking out of the floor to get a better view. The interior was circular, walls extending around the edge with no ceiling. Columns dotted the area, three rings of bronze metal were engraved in the floor from the outer near the wall to the inner at the center. And in the far back was a massive Vex gateway similar to the one guarded by the Gate Lord Pekis team killed weeks ago. It was inactive, no energy powering it, but at the center of the middle ring was a glowing white column. "A conflux," Aepvis said, "Get me to it." Pekis walked over to the conflux, letting Aepvis out so he could access it. Aepvis emitted a beam from his eye, hitting the hard light that the conflux was made of. "Wow! This gateway is connected to nearly every other on Venus, acting as a nexus for the Vex's transport system. Not only that, but I think it can connect to different points in time."

"What we need is a way to get back to our comrades." Pekis sighed, thinking of the implications. As tempting as it was to take advantage of such an instrument, What he was concerned about now was the present and those who may not see the future if nothing is done about the Vex.

Aepvis went deeper into the conflux's systems, getting a better idea of its functions, "The controls for the gate are here, but I'm being blocked. I can't get access."

"Blocked by what?" The gateway activated prompting Pekis to take a fighting stance with Aepvis returning to him for safety. The Aegis recovered from the previous encounters, ready to do battle once again.

"By that." The gate pulsed with energy, responding to Aepvis' intrusion into the Vex network. Pekis made out the faint silhouette of a towering figure just beyond the veil of energy that acted as a window allowing it to view the Hunter without being in the same place as him. Its head beamed out a bright white Light that focused on the Guardian standing before it. Pekis' heart pounded as the white eye was fixed on him, the figure emitting a loud electronic wail that could be heard by all Vex within the Vault.

The Aegis tensed up. They may have defeated the Templar and dealt a crippling blow to the Vault of Glass, but there was a power that exceeded the dead Hydra. The shield increased the flow of its energy into Pekis, knowing the entity, telling him to prepare himself. He held the Aegis in front of him, holding his sword out in a defensive posture. The figure's eye turned red, confirming the relic's presence. At long last, the Aegis was out in the open, no longer hiding it had put all its faith in the one it had made its wielder. Pulses of energy erupted from the gate, pushing out in all directions, seemingly distorting the air itself. The power of the shield protected Pekis from any adverse effects the energy would have had.

Picking up the energy readings coming from the gate, Aepvis would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. "P-Pekis, I'm getting the feeling we were lured here."

Pekis growled at the entity, staring back at him. Raising his sword in challenge, he dared the figure to come at him, to step out of the gate and face him. But the entity on the other side of the gate would not be his opponent for there was another who sought him out and would see the relic destroyed. The silhouette in the gate vanished, the device sending one last pulse that summoned the sword of the Vault, now fully repaired and ready for battle. It materialized in the air above Pekis, it circuits and servos charged with the Light, its body sparking with lightning as it came down on Pekis' position.

Aepvis detected it just in time. "Pekis, Above you!"

Acting on instinct, Pekis activated his own power, electricity dancing along his body into his sword and shield. He vanished just as the Vex landing sending out a devastating shockwave that cracked the ground. Pekis reappeared in seconds, seeing his adversary get off its knee, glaring back at him with its single white-blue eye. "You."

The Legionless Mind stood to its full height, the damage done by Pekis' golden gun wholly undone. Its metallic body shining from the power of the Light it wielded, the air surrounding it crackling. "Anomaly detected."

The resonance the Aegis had before was back now stronger than ever before. Pekis knew why. Its creator stood just yards away but no longer the man he was. Kabr's fate was sealed long ago, this thing, this Vex was all that remained of him.

The Legionless Mind felt the resonance as well. Every time the Aegis was near, their powers would respond to one another, having both come from the same source. Two sides of the same coin. One meant to stop the Vex, the other meant to aid them. Both intertwined with one another through the downfall and sacrifice of Kabr.

This time was different. The Aegis could not flee like it always had. The Vex ensured that it was no longer possible. The long-awaited confrontation had come at last. "You won't escape this time." Pekis slashed the floor in front of him, showing off the blade in his possession now strengthen by his Light. The Aegis, too, became stronger like before, Pekis' power flowing through it, giving it strength.

The Legionless Mind registered the surge in power, recognizing it from its previous encounter with the Hunter. Pekis' blades had given him an edge over the Vex that had no weapon to counter them, But now there was a means to even the playing field. The Legionless Mind held a hand out where a long metal object began materializing. It gripped the handle of the weapon, the power of the Light channeling into it, empowering it just as Pekis' did with his sword. Electricity surfed the surface of the blade, the sharp edge of Time's Blade glowed blue, the symbol of the Vault of Glass etched onto the flat.

The corrupted Guardian swung its sword, slashing the ground, sending chunks of rock that landed at Pekis' feet. "Engagement success increased by 30%. Termination inevitable." It stated rather arrogantly in Pekis' opinion.

"Silence your tongue! You know nothing!" Pekis, Aepvis, and the Aegis braced themselves for the coming battle. The Guardian glanced at Kabr's final words, remembering the last passage, "If I speak again, I am not Kabr." Those words rung true. Kabr was long gone. Only his memory and shield remained. "You are not Kabr. You are no Guardian. You are just a machine."

"Irrelevant." The Legionless Mind was ready, holding it's master's creation, Time's Blade, in both hands.

"And machines can be broken." Pekis stood firm, having awaited this moment. "And I will not die this day."

Beyond the gateway monitoring the ordeal, the lord of the Vault initiated the fight. 'Engage!'

'Directive confirmed.' The Legionless Mind dashed forward at lightning speed, Pekis doing the same meeting it midway, their blades and Light clashing to end it once and for all.


End file.
